Energy and Natural Resources Minister responds ex-president's comments on gas price: tert.am

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, ARMENPRESS: The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia Armen Movsisyan commented on the Armenian ex-president Robert Kocharyan’s interview, where the ex-president spoke of public unawareness of the real gas price, sale of 20% of ArmRusgasprom shares to Russia and stated that for him the Government’s logics to conceal the change of the gas price is incomprehensible. Armenpress presents a part of the interview of Armen Movsisyan to tert.am.

“Since 2010 we have informed the public of our negotiations over the gas price and pricing principles with Gazprom.I would like to remind you of the agreement with the Russian side, which envisaged further supply of Russian gas to Armenia at $180 regardless of the Gazprom-ArmRusgasprom relations, until the negotiations were completed and a final agreement was reached. Based on the results, we were to settle the issue of the accumulated debts. The negotiations lasted for about three years, and a $300m debt was formed during that period due to the price difference.

However, given the longer-term gas price agreements, as well as price formation pegged to domestic prices in Russia, the Armenian side agreed to the Russian side’s proposal to pay off about half of the debt.

I would like to add that this deal is favorably different from the ‘Property for Debt’ deal initiated by Robert Kocharyan – not only because Russia agreed to clear half of the debt, but also because long-term predictability of gas prices is a serious achievement in terms of promotion of investments. This deal is really in our country’s interests”.(THE FULL VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN TERT.AM)