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Parliamentarian: Public Fiercely Opposing Gas Deal With Russia

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  • Parliamentarian: Public Fiercely Opposing Gas Deal With Russia

    PARLIAMENTARIAN: PUBLIC FIERCELY OPPOSING GAS DEAL WITH RUSSIA

    by Ashot Safaryan

    Friday, February 7, 14:13

    Public is fiercely opposing the gas deal with Russia, says Ruben
    Hakobyan, an opposition MP, the head of Heritage Party Faction in
    the Parliament.

    He told reporters, Friday, that the problems the people are concerned
    about still remain pending. "The authorities have not explained why
    they have violated Article 77 of the Constitution of Armenia by making
    an agreement in circumvention of the Parliament. It is an anti-state
    agreement. The authorities violated also the Law on the State Debt.

    This time, the authorities found no argument to justify their actions,"
    he said.

    Hakobyan said he is committed to the fight against the Government's
    action by combined efforts of the parliamentary and non-parliamentary
    forces.

    "We have always come out for the idea of a singe political agenda. The
    entire political spectrum must properly assess the situation and find a
    way out. Four parliamentary factions - ANC, Prosperous Armenia, ARFD,
    and Heritage - have a common view of the current social and economic
    situation in the country. If the authorities fail to realize in what
    deplorable situation we have occurred in, these 4 factions together
    with the public must unite and achieve a power change. I do not speak
    on behalf of all the four parties, indeed, but I think, in the course
    of discussions we will come to a common position," Hakobyan said.

    The National Assembly of Armenia has rejected the bill on establishment
    of an ad hoc committee to study the state debt accumulated since 2011
    in the gas supply field and the gas tariff with 44 votes 'for' and
    58 votes 'against'. The non-governmental factions in the parliament
    supported the bill, while the political coalition of the Republican
    Party and Orinats Yerkir Party has rejected it.

    To recall, 4 parliamentary factions of Armenia: Armenian National
    Congress, Prosperous Armenia Party, ARFD and Heritage have come
    forward with an initiative to set up a parliamentary committee to
    discuss gas deal with Russia.

    Earlier, the head of the ARF Dashnaktiutyun parliamentary faction,
    Armen Rustamyan, told reporters that the gas deal between Armenia and
    Russia contradicts two points of Armenia's Constitution. In particular,
    he said, the clause 31.1 of the Armenian Constitution ("The state
    protects interests of consumers and makes events within the frames
    of the law") as well as the clause 33 ("Limiting of competition
    and possible types of monopoly may be fixed only by the law"). He
    recalled that ARFD said about setting up of a temporary commission
    on discussion of the gas issue in 2010, when Russia started making
    contracts on gas price for the CIS countries taking into account the
    European price making principles.

    He pointed at the fact that Ukraine and Belarus use their transit
    opportunities. As for Armenia, it cannot use its potential for the
    Iranian gas transit, and the temporary commission must touch on this
    problem as well.

    As for the gas price, it also causes many questions. "It is no
    secret, that Gasprom owns the controlling stake of the national gas
    distributing companies only in Moldova and Armenia. As of 2010, in
    Moldova gas price at the border was $233, and the consumer got it
    for $288, that is to say, the margin amounted to $55. "In Armenia,
    it was $189 at the border and $393 for the consumer. The commission
    wants to study this issue too", - he said.

    To recall, in 23 December 2013 the Armenian parliament has ratified a
    controversial natural-gas agreement with Moscow amid protests. The deal
    gives the Russian energy giant Gazprom, which already owns 80 percent
    of the ArmRosgazprom Armenian- Russian joint venture, the remaining 20
    percent. Gazprom will also control all Armenian gas imports until 2043.

    http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=EBFA7050-8FE8-11E3-A8E90EB7C0D21663



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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