According to News.am, during a question-and-answer session with government officials in parliament today, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan said he has received a response to his letter regarding decrease of the price of Russian natural gas and has been told that Gazprom is keeping the issue in its focus.

In his letter, Mher Grigoryan had proposed to launch talks to lower the price of Russian natural gas price on the border.

Mher Grigoryan talked about the price in response to a question from deputy of Prosperous Armenia Party Mikayel Melkumyan, who particularly asked which stage the talks are in since Gazprom Armenia has submitted a bid to the Public Services Regulatory Commission of Armenia to increase the natural gas tariff. Melkumyan added that, in his opinion, the bid needs to be rejected because even though the price of natural gas on the border is $165, the calculation is done within the scope of $135.

In response, Mher Grigoryan stated that this will be touched upon when the bid is considered and the deputy will have the opportunity to express his opinion on the issue.

“At the end of the day, the decisions will be taken under Armenia’s jurisdiction. However, we have to be constructive. After all, Gazprom Armenia is an Armenian resident organization and, in this sense, Armenia needs to be reasonable and mobilize its resources. If Armenia believes there has to be a difference in prices, it has to be neutralized on the border, and this is what the government is trying to do. At some point, this issue will become an item on the agenda of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission, will be an issue for public deliberation, and deputies will be able to express their views.”

16 April 2020 / 11:58