YEREVAN. – Armenia’s former FM Vartan Oskanian announced about a month ago that, according to his information, the Government of Armenia is holding talks with the Russian side toward receiving $1 billion loan from Russia, 168 Zham daily writes.   

“Deputy Finance Minister Vardan Aramyan did not deny this [news] at the time. Well-informed sources have learned that Armenia’s authorities are actually attempting to receive not one, but close to $2 billion loan from Russia. And talks are currently underway in that regard.  

In an interview with our reporter yesterday [Wednesday], Vardan Aramyan neither denied nor confirmed this information.

According to our information, certain disagreements have come about within the ruling elite, in connection with receiving such large-scale loans from Russia.

Specifically, our sources inform that PM Tigran Sargsyan is against it because, according to him, in this way it would be much harder for Armenia to decline from the requirement for Eurasian Union membership. 

According to the same sources, President Serzh Sargsyan is in favor of the Russian loan, considering that the spending of these means, in the lead-up to the forthcoming presidential elections, could have some positive effect in terms of public attitude,” 168 Zham writes.