DEPUTY SPEAKER SAYS THERE IS HOPE WITH REGARD TO PRICE OF GAS

Lragir/am
21 March 06

On March 14 and 15 the Russian-Armenian Parliamentary Committee
discussed the price of the Russian gas. The head of the Armenian
delegation Vahan Hovanisyan announced without details that there were
positive moves and there is reason for optimism.

The deputy speaker of the Russian Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky announced
that if Armenia wants to buy gas at a lower price, it has to enter
the Russia-Belarus Union. Vahan Hovanisyan said this is the opinion
of one person, or the political party he represents, and the Russian
Federation did not offer this to Armenia. The price of gas and the
steps and standpoint of Russia that are far from being pro-Armenian,
have kindled anti-Russian moods both in political circles and among
people. Pro-Russian stance is being replaced by pragmatism, states
Vahan Hovanisyan, who explained to Russians that if “insensible
persons dominate Russian politics, they will bring about changes”
that will not benefit the Russian Federation.

In Yerevan Vahan Hovanisyan elucidated for the Armenian reporters
that the price of gas is boosted by Gasprom and not the Russian
state. “It is not important that the state owns 51 per cent of shares
of Gasprom.” Vahan Hovanisyan believes that the Russian Federation is
becoming a country which lives under the rules of liberal markets,
where the economy dictates policies. In this case there is nothing
left to do but to “make changes in our national interests and introduce
new components in the Russian-Armenian relations.”