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Does Putin Punish the Armenian Government Flirting With NATO and the
European Union by Increasing Natural Gas Prices?
May 15 2013
Gagik Hambaryan, a political scientist, expressed this idea during a
conversation with www.aravot.am. `There has been talk about the
increase in gas prices for quite a while, almost one year, but since 3
important elections awaited Armenia, the National Assembly election,
presidential election, and Yerevan City Council election, only after
the current government's victory did the Russian side raise the issue
of gas price increase. If the gas prices had been increased before the
election, the Republican Party would have lost quite a lot of votes.
Taking into account the socio-economic condition of the people and the
fact that there has been almost no increase in pensions and wages - I
don't consider that 2500 drams to be an increase - the people would
naturally have opposed the Republican Party's attempts to regain power
more strongly,' the political scientist says. According to Gagik
Hambaryan's prediction, the government will not allow the gas prices
to increase dramatically, more than 60 percent, but will stop at a
35%-40% increase, and the government will present it to the people as
the Armenian side's `victory.' `They will say: `Look, we have
increased the gas prices less than the Russians intended as a result
of negotiations with them.' I must state that no matter how much the
gas prices fall, this will set off a chain reaction in the economy,
and there will be a considerable increase in prices in all spheres. So
one can say that the increase in pensions and wages planned by the
government will have no positive effect on the people's socio-economic
condition whatsoever,' our interlocutor is convinced. The political
scientist stated that this was not the first case when the Russians
pursued a purely anti-Armenian policy. `It is funny that the Russians
haven't used quite many plants that they got in the past according to
an agreement signed with the Armenian side, the program of repaying
the debt with property. A question arises why they acquired those
companies, if they were not going to use them for 7-8 years. It is
also funny that the Russian side signed an agreement with the
Georgians a few months ago, in November-December, reducing the energy
prices by 25 percent, but at the same time, they increase the gas
prices for the Armenian side. I must state that the Armenian market is
a small one for Gazprom, is not of great benefit, because there are
very few industrial complexes in Armenia, and gas earns rather large
sums of money in big industrial centers. I think that this is a
political issue, one of many anti-Armenian steps taken by the Russian
side for quite a long time. The Russian side wants to show the
Armenian side by this that it is discontent with its close relations
with the European Union and NATO. `This is another step to make the
Armenian side involve in Putin's Eurasian project, because our
government hasn't given a clear answer yet what they thought of the
Eurasian Union, which is Putin's most important project in the second
period of his presidency.' According to the political scientist, it is
strange that the Armenian side provides the Russian side with a large
territory for the Russian military base without demanding payment. As
opposed to other republics, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, and
Azerbaijan, where the Russians paid large sums of money to the latter
for the Gabala Radar Station, the Armenian side hasn't demanded
payment from Russia for the military base so far. `As far as I know,
the Armenian side covers 50 percent of the expenses on the Russian
military base. I think that the Russian side could have treated the
Republic of Armenia more mildly, and even if they needed to increase
the gas prices, one could have increased them a little. And this shows
that Russia pursues an inadequate policy toward Armenia; this is food
for thought. And it is about time that the Armenian side clearly
expresses its position on what should be in the future, because gas is
policy, and as a result of that policy, a huge exodus from Armenia may
start.' Nune AREVSHATYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/05/15/154306/
© 1998 - 2013 Aravot - News from Armenia
From: Baghdasarian
European Union by Increasing Natural Gas Prices?
May 15 2013
Gagik Hambaryan, a political scientist, expressed this idea during a
conversation with www.aravot.am. `There has been talk about the
increase in gas prices for quite a while, almost one year, but since 3
important elections awaited Armenia, the National Assembly election,
presidential election, and Yerevan City Council election, only after
the current government's victory did the Russian side raise the issue
of gas price increase. If the gas prices had been increased before the
election, the Republican Party would have lost quite a lot of votes.
Taking into account the socio-economic condition of the people and the
fact that there has been almost no increase in pensions and wages - I
don't consider that 2500 drams to be an increase - the people would
naturally have opposed the Republican Party's attempts to regain power
more strongly,' the political scientist says. According to Gagik
Hambaryan's prediction, the government will not allow the gas prices
to increase dramatically, more than 60 percent, but will stop at a
35%-40% increase, and the government will present it to the people as
the Armenian side's `victory.' `They will say: `Look, we have
increased the gas prices less than the Russians intended as a result
of negotiations with them.' I must state that no matter how much the
gas prices fall, this will set off a chain reaction in the economy,
and there will be a considerable increase in prices in all spheres. So
one can say that the increase in pensions and wages planned by the
government will have no positive effect on the people's socio-economic
condition whatsoever,' our interlocutor is convinced. The political
scientist stated that this was not the first case when the Russians
pursued a purely anti-Armenian policy. `It is funny that the Russians
haven't used quite many plants that they got in the past according to
an agreement signed with the Armenian side, the program of repaying
the debt with property. A question arises why they acquired those
companies, if they were not going to use them for 7-8 years. It is
also funny that the Russian side signed an agreement with the
Georgians a few months ago, in November-December, reducing the energy
prices by 25 percent, but at the same time, they increase the gas
prices for the Armenian side. I must state that the Armenian market is
a small one for Gazprom, is not of great benefit, because there are
very few industrial complexes in Armenia, and gas earns rather large
sums of money in big industrial centers. I think that this is a
political issue, one of many anti-Armenian steps taken by the Russian
side for quite a long time. The Russian side wants to show the
Armenian side by this that it is discontent with its close relations
with the European Union and NATO. `This is another step to make the
Armenian side involve in Putin's Eurasian project, because our
government hasn't given a clear answer yet what they thought of the
Eurasian Union, which is Putin's most important project in the second
period of his presidency.' According to the political scientist, it is
strange that the Armenian side provides the Russian side with a large
territory for the Russian military base without demanding payment. As
opposed to other republics, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, and
Azerbaijan, where the Russians paid large sums of money to the latter
for the Gabala Radar Station, the Armenian side hasn't demanded
payment from Russia for the military base so far. `As far as I know,
the Armenian side covers 50 percent of the expenses on the Russian
military base. I think that the Russian side could have treated the
Republic of Armenia more mildly, and even if they needed to increase
the gas prices, one could have increased them a little. And this shows
that Russia pursues an inadequate policy toward Armenia; this is food
for thought. And it is about time that the Armenian side clearly
expresses its position on what should be in the future, because gas is
policy, and as a result of that policy, a huge exodus from Armenia may
start.' Nune AREVSHATYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/05/15/154306/
© 1998 - 2013 Aravot - News from Armenia
From: Baghdasarian