YEREVAN, August 13. /ARKA/. A new round of US sanctions against Russia and Iran could seriously jeopardize the economy of Armenia unless alternatives to support it are found, said today Suren Sargsyan, an expert in American affairs.

Speaking to reporters he said Armenia’s economy is closely linked with Russia, and new anti-Russian sanctions can cause serious damage to it, first of all, affecting the amount of remittances from Russia to Armenia.

On US sanctions against Iran Sargsyan said it is for the first time the US administration disregards the vital economic ties between Armenia and Iran. "Anti-Iran sanctions may affect energy and other joint projects, and to avoid serious consequences for Armenia, it is necessary to revise previous agreements," he said.

Sargsyan said also it is necessary to actively engage Armenian lobbying organizations in the US to prevent serious damage to the Armenian economy. "We must do everything possible to increase American financial assistance to Armenia, which is the smallest since Armenia’s independence.’.

In July 2017, the US approved a reduction in the amount of aid provided to Armenia from $20.4 million in 2016 to $6.2 million in 2018.

Last week Washington said it would impose fresh sanctions against Russia by the end of August after concluding that Moscow had used a nerve agent against a former Russian spy Sergey Skripal and his daughter in Britain. 

On the same day, US President Donald Trump  threatened Iran with the most severe sanctions to be imposed in November. -0-