Armenia should disclose its proposals regarding gas price, political analyst says
Armenia should disclose its proposals regarding the price of Russian natural gas, Tevan Poghosyan, the head of the International Center for Human Development, told reporters on Friday.
On December 20 an Armenian daily 168 Zham claimed that Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan received a letter from his Russian counterpart Dmitry Kozak, in which the latter informs that the price of Russian gas for Armenia will increase from the current $150 to $ 215 per thousand cubic meters beginning from January 1, 2019.
However, Tigran Avinyan's press secretary, Vahan Hunanyan, published an official statement on this issue in his Faceboook, stating that "at the moment, there is no decision on the price of gas and there is no fixed price."
“There is string of criteria used for natural gas pricing , and one of them is the single market of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU),” he said, adding that negotiations are to focus on the coordination of various factors and mechanisms, including those proceeding from the interests of Armenia.
According to political analyst Suren Sargsyan, gas geopolitics is an important political tool for Russia not only in relation to Armenia. He said the issue should not be viewed in the context of Armenian-Russian relations.
"I think that the gas price will be changed under a scheme that was used in the past. It used to grow for Armenia after the winter season, and the country's leadership traveled regularly to Moscow for talks, after which the dates for price increase postponed by 2-3 months. I think the same scenario will work now- Pashinyan will visit Moscow next week and ask to reconsider the price or postpone the rise, but it’s hard to say whether the Russian side will agree,” said Sargsyan.
Under a 2016 agreement, the Russian natural gas is delivered to Armenia by Gazprom at a $150 per one thousand cubic meters, but Gazprom’s Armenian subsidiary - Gazprom Armenia - sells it to Armenian households at almost $300. -0-