Tweet
SOVIET-ARMENIA EXHAUSTED: RUSSIA WILL TAKE WHAT IT WANTS
The news that the minister of energy and natural resources Armen
Movsisyan met with the head of Gazprom Alexey Miller and discussed a
number of issues, including on giving the government's stake in ARG
to Gazprom has shocked the Armenian society.
Armen Movsisyan will hardly remember that he discussed such an issue
with Gazprom's head. Movsisyan's answers to all the questions is:
"I don't remember." It is not ruled out that Movsisyan did not discuss
this issue with Gazprom, which just decided that they did.
Could Armenia dismiss the rumors? Of course it cannot. The maximum
Armenia could do is to refuse to join the Customs Union and issue an
initial agreement to the Eurasian Union. Besides, Russia has done
a great favor to Armenia postponing news about the gas price until
after elections.
On the other hand, the Armenian society need not be surprised. ARG was
established with 45-45% stakes, 10% belonged to the so-called Intera
Company, Gazprom's subsidiary, and was meant to cover up shadow deals.
Intera got out of business and at the beginning of the 2000s Gazprom
began increasing its stake in ARG.
The greater part of the Armenian society was following this process
calmly. The same calmness was there also in 2006 when Gazprom
website reported that the company boosted its assets with the help
of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline. The Armenian society was upset by the
news and did not ask the government whether it was not possible to
avoid giving the Armenian section of Iran-Armenian pipeline to Gazprom.
So, in the silence of the Armenian society and the greater part of
the political class, the stake of the Armenian government in ARG was
cut to 20% from the initial 45%. The society can protest now about
the last 20% but hardly anything will change.
Russia took the situation under control a long time ago, and it is
fulfilling its program step by step.
Trying to keep what we have or recover what we lost will take efforts
without producing results. Armenia will have to remain in the field of
concessions in its relations with Russia. The society will be powerless
to change the situation even if it forms its so-called government.
Russia will take what it wants. Armenia needs to set up all the
spheres, including energy. Russia will take whatever belongs to it,
after all the system in place has been inherited from the Soviet
times. Since independence Armenia has not formed its own system in
any sphere.
It is evident that except toasts, pathetic speeches, Karabakh victory,
nothing Armenian has been created so far, and Soviet Armenia is
only two decades old. Soviet Armenia is exhausted now. This process
will not be a tragedy if a parallel process of setting up real, new,
independent Armenia is launched.
This is possible only if the relevant social grounds are in place,
and if the political system is Armenian in essence, not an old Soviet
Russian agency.
HAKOB BADALYAN 11:14 18/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/comments/view/30194
The news that the minister of energy and natural resources Armen
Movsisyan met with the head of Gazprom Alexey Miller and discussed a
number of issues, including on giving the government's stake in ARG
to Gazprom has shocked the Armenian society.
Armen Movsisyan will hardly remember that he discussed such an issue
with Gazprom's head. Movsisyan's answers to all the questions is:
"I don't remember." It is not ruled out that Movsisyan did not discuss
this issue with Gazprom, which just decided that they did.
Could Armenia dismiss the rumors? Of course it cannot. The maximum
Armenia could do is to refuse to join the Customs Union and issue an
initial agreement to the Eurasian Union. Besides, Russia has done
a great favor to Armenia postponing news about the gas price until
after elections.
On the other hand, the Armenian society need not be surprised. ARG was
established with 45-45% stakes, 10% belonged to the so-called Intera
Company, Gazprom's subsidiary, and was meant to cover up shadow deals.
Intera got out of business and at the beginning of the 2000s Gazprom
began increasing its stake in ARG.
The greater part of the Armenian society was following this process
calmly. The same calmness was there also in 2006 when Gazprom
website reported that the company boosted its assets with the help
of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline. The Armenian society was upset by the
news and did not ask the government whether it was not possible to
avoid giving the Armenian section of Iran-Armenian pipeline to Gazprom.
So, in the silence of the Armenian society and the greater part of
the political class, the stake of the Armenian government in ARG was
cut to 20% from the initial 45%. The society can protest now about
the last 20% but hardly anything will change.
Russia took the situation under control a long time ago, and it is
fulfilling its program step by step.
Trying to keep what we have or recover what we lost will take efforts
without producing results. Armenia will have to remain in the field of
concessions in its relations with Russia. The society will be powerless
to change the situation even if it forms its so-called government.
Russia will take what it wants. Armenia needs to set up all the
spheres, including energy. Russia will take whatever belongs to it,
after all the system in place has been inherited from the Soviet
times. Since independence Armenia has not formed its own system in
any sphere.
It is evident that except toasts, pathetic speeches, Karabakh victory,
nothing Armenian has been created so far, and Soviet Armenia is
only two decades old. Soviet Armenia is exhausted now. This process
will not be a tragedy if a parallel process of setting up real, new,
independent Armenia is launched.
This is possible only if the relevant social grounds are in place,
and if the political system is Armenian in essence, not an old Soviet
Russian agency.
HAKOB BADALYAN 11:14 18/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/comments/view/30194