Armenia and Several Other Countries Are Helping Russia, Says US State Department

Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and the UAE are assisting Russia in circumventing Western sanctions. This opinion was expressed by Jim O'Brien, head of the US State Department's Office of Sanctions Coordination.

He noted that the supplies of microchips and key electronic components to Russia, which the West has attempted to block through sanctions, have returned to the levels they were at before the Ukrainian conflict. This information was reported by the European edition of Politico.

The newspaper indicates that Russia is enhancing its capabilities to resist Western sanctions. O'Brien believes that European companies are selling electronic products to third countries, from which they are re-exported to Russia. This includes microchips, processors, and electronic boards necessary for creating modern weapon systems.

According to the American official, the main re-export routes pass through NATO member Turkey, but also through the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Armenia, and Kazakhstan.

It is worth recalling that earlier representatives of the EU and the US did not rule out that sanctions could be imposed on those countries that assist Russia in circumventing sanctions. In this regard, Armenian high-ranking officials (Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan, Central Bank President Martin Galstyan) have stated that Armenia is adhering to the sanctions regime.

Pashinyan stated at a meeting with journalists on May 22 that it is not beneficial for any allied country of Armenia to see it fall under sanctions. “We will engage with Russia to the extent that we do not fall under Western sanctions,” he emphasized.

Kerobyan, for his part, declared that Armenia is not seeking to assist Russia in circumventing sanctions. “We are trying to uphold the provisions of the EAEU agreement by ensuring that Armenian companies do not fall under secondary sanctions,” he noted.

It is also worth mentioning that Armenia and Russia's trade turnover nearly doubled in 2022, exceeding $5 billion. Exports from Armenia have increased almost threefold, rising from $841 million to $2 billion 411 million. The export of mechanical and electronic equipment grew tenfold, from about $60 million to $695 million.