On 17 March, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported with reference to Gazprom Export that Russian natural gas will be temporarily shipped to Armenia through Azerbaijan due to the repair of a section of the North Caucasus-Transcaucasia gas pipeline.  

The newspaper said that on March 16, Gazprom signed a short-term contract with Azerbaijani state oil company for the transportation of gas to Armenia through the territory of Azerbaijan. After the repair, which is said to take about three weeks, the natural gas will be shipped along the previous route across the border of Russia and Georgia. 

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan’s Republic (SOCAR) also responded to the statement. “In view of the repair work on the North Caucasus - Transcaucasia gas pipeline, the Russian side turned to Azerbaijan with a request for the transit of Russian gas to the territory of Georgia. The request was granted, and Russian gas will be temporarily supplied through Azerbaijan to the territory of Georgia, and further to Armenia, for the corresponding transit payment, starting from 17 March,” said SOCAR spokesperson Ibrahim Ahmedov. He refrained from commenting on the size of the transit payment and the volume of supplies, stressing that the gas goes exactly in the direction of Georgia. 

In December 2020, Gazprom Export and Gazprom Armenia, a subsidiary of Gazprom, extended the gas supply contract for the first quarter of 2021 only. On 31 December 2018 Russia's Gazprom raised the price of natural gas it ships to Armenia across Georgia from $150 per one thousand cubic meters to $165. Although the Russian natural gas is delivered to Armenia by Gazprom at $165 per one thousand cubic meters, Gazprom’s Armenian subsidiary - Gazprom Armenia - sells it to the bulk of Armenian households at almost $300.