During his March visit to Germany, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was warned to cut off channels for “parallel imports” of goods and stop making money transfers to Russia, Hraparak reports .
According to the publication's sources, Pashinyan was "seriously concerned" about these requirements. Upon arrival in Armenia, he held a meeting, which was attended by the heads of the Central Bank and the State Revenue Committee of the country, as well as members of the government. The Prime Minister demanded to block the channels for the flow of goods and money into Russia as soon as possible.
Hraparak writes that this decision greatly affected the income of companies that helped Russia to circumvent sanctions. Airports are now reportedly even stopping individual passengers and checking their luggage for chips and other goods whose exports are subject to restrictions imposed by Western countries. Also, control over banking operations carried out by the Russians was strengthened.
During his visit to Germany, Nikol Pashinyan said that "the rumors that Armenia is helping [Russia] bypass sanctions are nothing more than rumors." At the same time, he stressed that the situation in the world is changing rapidly, and the Armenian government “should help the private sector make decisions regarding such activities so as not to spoil [the country’s] relations with each of its partners.”
Immediately after the Easter holidays, the European Commission plans to approve the 11th package of sanctions. It will mainly be devoted to the development of measures that will block the channels used by Russia to circumvent existing restrictions.