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WHAT DID IRANIAN AMBASSADOR PROPOSE?
Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
Comments - 09 April 2015, 11:16
While presenting the report of the ad hoc gas committee, the head of
the Standing Committee of Economic Affairs Vardan Aivazyan surprised
with his answer to Member of Parliament Nikol Pashinyan's question.
Nikol Pashinyan said according to the report, extraction costs of the
Iranian gas are the lowest in the world and asked why Armenia does
not buy gas from Iran. Vardan Aivazyan stated that Iran will never
propose a price lower than 189 dollars.
His statement is at least strange, considering that in 2013 the Iranian
ambassador to Armenia Muhammad Reisi announced several times that Iran
can supply gas to Armenia that will be competitive with Russian gas.
Then the Armenian minister of energy Armen Movsisyan announced that
the Iranian gas is more expensive than the Russian gas. The Iranian
ambassador replied to him in his next press conference that everything
depends on negotiations, and gas may cost 400 dollars for one and
100 dollars for another.
The ambassador is an official, the representative of his country to
Armenia, and if the ambassador states something, it is an official
statement, not his personal opinion. Hence, either Vardan Aivazyan
is distorting the truth or he is not competent and does not know that
Iran has offered cheap gas to Armenia. How Armenia responded to that
offer is another issue.
For example, in his end-of-year press conference in 2013 the Armenian
ex-prime minister Tigran Sargsyan said the statements of the Iranian
ambassador were apparently a "diplomatic error". It was the so-called
official response to Iran's proposal.
It is possible that official Yerevan was expecting an original proposal
of cheap gas from the Iranian side, for example, the Iranian foreign
minister of president drop the cheap gas offer with a parachute
on the Republic Square or knock at the window of one of the public
institutions of Armenia, such as the president or the government,
and offer cheap price. Or write the price with balloons in front of
the government.
However, Yerevan did not get original proposals. Tehran did not try
to be original and simply announced bluntly that they could sell
cheap gas to Armenia and everything depends on negotiations.
Yet it is clear that Russia will not allow Armenia to buy cheap gas
from Iran, especially now when every single cubic meters of gas
matters much to Gazprom. Moreover, statistics will show that the
quantity of electricity generated on the expensive Russian gas has
increased. Only sovereign Armenia can buy cheap gas from Iran which is
capable of political decisions. Furthermore, the political decisions
will not be limited to the revision of the gas deal and negotiations
with Iran. The point is that the negotiations will cover important
political issues, namely the destiny of the regional status quo.
Iran wants the Armenian side to continue to control the liberated
territories. This is especially relevant on the backdrop of the
growing pressure by Russia to station CSTO peacekeepers in Artsakh.
Russia thereby offers a deal to Azerbaijan and Turkey, promising to
pressure on Armenia to return one or two territories. This is not a
desirable option for Iran, and it is generally reluctant to see anyone
else at the northern border apart from the Armenian military control.
However, this is not a goal but a means of protection of the Armenian
factor through which Iran expects to boost its regional role,
especially with the positive dynamics of normalization of relations
with the West. In this respect, Armenia is a very important platform
for Iran, a platform to which there is no alternative, and Tehran
highly estimates the sovereignty and autonomous policy of Armenia.
There are big economic and defense prospects but it is more convenient
to tell that Iran has not proposed anything to Armenia than to assume
responsibility for complicated political issues. It is good that
there are no statements like there is no Iran, and they never knew
such a country ever existed.
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/comments/view/33903
Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
Comments - 09 April 2015, 11:16
While presenting the report of the ad hoc gas committee, the head of
the Standing Committee of Economic Affairs Vardan Aivazyan surprised
with his answer to Member of Parliament Nikol Pashinyan's question.
Nikol Pashinyan said according to the report, extraction costs of the
Iranian gas are the lowest in the world and asked why Armenia does
not buy gas from Iran. Vardan Aivazyan stated that Iran will never
propose a price lower than 189 dollars.
His statement is at least strange, considering that in 2013 the Iranian
ambassador to Armenia Muhammad Reisi announced several times that Iran
can supply gas to Armenia that will be competitive with Russian gas.
Then the Armenian minister of energy Armen Movsisyan announced that
the Iranian gas is more expensive than the Russian gas. The Iranian
ambassador replied to him in his next press conference that everything
depends on negotiations, and gas may cost 400 dollars for one and
100 dollars for another.
The ambassador is an official, the representative of his country to
Armenia, and if the ambassador states something, it is an official
statement, not his personal opinion. Hence, either Vardan Aivazyan
is distorting the truth or he is not competent and does not know that
Iran has offered cheap gas to Armenia. How Armenia responded to that
offer is another issue.
For example, in his end-of-year press conference in 2013 the Armenian
ex-prime minister Tigran Sargsyan said the statements of the Iranian
ambassador were apparently a "diplomatic error". It was the so-called
official response to Iran's proposal.
It is possible that official Yerevan was expecting an original proposal
of cheap gas from the Iranian side, for example, the Iranian foreign
minister of president drop the cheap gas offer with a parachute
on the Republic Square or knock at the window of one of the public
institutions of Armenia, such as the president or the government,
and offer cheap price. Or write the price with balloons in front of
the government.
However, Yerevan did not get original proposals. Tehran did not try
to be original and simply announced bluntly that they could sell
cheap gas to Armenia and everything depends on negotiations.
Yet it is clear that Russia will not allow Armenia to buy cheap gas
from Iran, especially now when every single cubic meters of gas
matters much to Gazprom. Moreover, statistics will show that the
quantity of electricity generated on the expensive Russian gas has
increased. Only sovereign Armenia can buy cheap gas from Iran which is
capable of political decisions. Furthermore, the political decisions
will not be limited to the revision of the gas deal and negotiations
with Iran. The point is that the negotiations will cover important
political issues, namely the destiny of the regional status quo.
Iran wants the Armenian side to continue to control the liberated
territories. This is especially relevant on the backdrop of the
growing pressure by Russia to station CSTO peacekeepers in Artsakh.
Russia thereby offers a deal to Azerbaijan and Turkey, promising to
pressure on Armenia to return one or two territories. This is not a
desirable option for Iran, and it is generally reluctant to see anyone
else at the northern border apart from the Armenian military control.
However, this is not a goal but a means of protection of the Armenian
factor through which Iran expects to boost its regional role,
especially with the positive dynamics of normalization of relations
with the West. In this respect, Armenia is a very important platform
for Iran, a platform to which there is no alternative, and Tehran
highly estimates the sovereignty and autonomous policy of Armenia.
There are big economic and defense prospects but it is more convenient
to tell that Iran has not proposed anything to Armenia than to assume
responsibility for complicated political issues. It is good that
there are no statements like there is no Iran, and they never knew
such a country ever existed.
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/comments/view/33903