Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on September 25, with discussions centering on nuclear energy cooperation and bilateral trade.
Welcoming Pashinyan to Moscow, Putin highlighted Armenia’s reliance on nuclear power, noting that the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant generates around 30 percent of the country’s electricity. He underscored Rosatom’s ongoing efforts to extend the plant’s lifespan and praised the steady growth of Russian-Armenian relations.
Putin said, “In 2024, our trade with Armenia reached $11.7 billion, a record figure,” adding, “Our relations are developing in all directions, and we are always glad to continue our dialogue.”
He noted that Pashinyan’s presence at the international forum was “completely logical,” given Armenia’s dependence on nuclear energy and the joint efforts with Rosatom to extend the plant’s operational life.
Pashinyan thanked Putin for the invitation to the World Atomic Week international forum, stating, “Today we learned a lot about nuclear technologies. Thank you for sharing them.” He described nuclear energy as an increasingly recognized form of “ecological energy,” highlighting its growing importance globally.
“Nuclear energy is also very important for our country,” Pashinyan said, adding, “You rightly noted that we are closely cooperating with the Russian Federation and are working to extend the operation period of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant until 2036.”
He reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to the extension and expressed interest in exploring small modular nuclear reactor projects with Russia. He said Armenia is actively reviewing suitable nuclear energy proposals and maintaining a “very active dialogue” with the Russian Federation on the matter. Pashinyan added that Armenia’s cooperation with Rosatom has been “very effective.”
Addressing economic matters, Pashinyan said, “Our mutual trade has seen some decline this year due to global factors,” but emphasized that “there are opportunities to restore growth at the pace recorded in 2023–2024.” He described the bilateral agenda as “very broad,” noting, “We really have many issues to discuss.”
He concluded by stating that Armenian-Russian relations are “developing as planned,” underscoring the importance of continued collaboration across key sectors.
Following their meeting, Pashinyan joined Putin and other foreign officials—including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Myanmar’s Acting President Min Aung Hlaing, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Eslami, Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev, and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi—on a tour of an exhibition dedicated to the history and achievements of Russia’s nuclear industry.
The delegation, guided by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev, viewed key milestones in the development of atomic energy and its peaceful applications.
