CONCEDING ARMENIAN ENERGY SYSTEM TO RUSSIANS ENDANGERS COUNTRY’S SECURITY, JUSTICE FACTION SECRETARY CONVINCED

Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. With the aim of mitigating the
consequences of the increase in the price of gas imported into Armenia,
the whole Iran-Armenia gas pipeline and the 5th power unit of Hrazdan
Thermal Power Plant were transferred to Gasprom company (Russia),
as a result of which Gasprom’s share in ArmRusgasprom’s package of
shares has reached 82%. Independent deputy Manuk Gasparian stated this
on April 11 in the RA National Assembly. In his words, “the pivot of
the deal is to make the whole Iran-Arnmenia gas pipeline the property
of Russia, and to ensure Russia’s monopoly on all the gas pipelines
from east to west.” M. Gasparian said that this deal will allow the
Armenian authorities to get large amounts of money from Russia and to
pocket these sums. According to the deputy, it is also evident from
disappearance of the information about the gas pipeline’s sale from
Gasprom’s website on April 6, 2006. Leader of the United Labor Party
(ULP) faction Gurgen Arsenian said that in order to allay public
concern, the government should keep the public aware of details of
the agreement signed with Gasprom. In his words, it is not ruled out
that as a result of use of “this new – gas energy weapon of Russia”,
the price of Russian gas may increase to $250 for 1,000 cubic meters in
2-3 years, as currently for Ukraine and Georgia. Secretary of Justice
faction Victor Dallakian stated that conceding almost 100% of the
Armenian energy system to Russians endangers the country’s security. In
his opinion, the sale of Hrazdan TPP 5th unit is also unacceptable from
economic point of view, since under the Armenian-Iranian agreement,
the Iranian gas was to be supplied to Hrazdan TPP via the gas pipeline
currently under construction and the electricity generated there would
be sold to Iran by Armenia. As a result of this deal, Armenia could
have made an annual profit of 100 mln USD, while Hrazan TPP would have
remained Armenia’s property, supplying more than half of electricity.

Instead, in V. Dalalkian’s words, the Armenian authorities
“have presented” Hrazdan TPP, and it is not ruled out, also the
Armenian section of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline to the Russian side as
property. V. Dallakian noted that an attempt is made to justify this
deal by saying that it will mitigate the gas tariffs. In reality, the
compensation sums will mostly go to big consumers, while the condition
of vulnerable and poor sections of the population will worsen.