GAZPROM OFFERS POST TO ARMENIAN EX-PRESIDENT – REPORT
Forbes
April 11 2008
NY
YEREVAN (Thomson Financial) – Armenia’s ex-president Robert Kocharian,
who left office this week, has been offered a post as vice-president of
Russian gas giant Gazprom, the Aravot daily newspaper reported Friday.
The offer by Gazprom, which controls strategic Armenian pipelines,
‘has not yet received a response and is still hanging in the air,’
the newspaper wrote, citing a report from the PanArmenian Network
news service quoting Russian sources.
Kocharian was replaced on Wednesday at the end of two five-year terms
by his prime minister, Serzh Sarkisian, after controversial polls
marred by violence and vote-rigging allegations.
Speculation has mounted about Kocharian’s plans after the 53-year-old
told reporters in December he had no plans to be ‘Armenia’s youngest
pensioner.’
Ex-Soviet Armenia and Russia maintained strong ties during Kocharian’s
tenure.
With the Armenian government, Gazprom jointly owns ArmRosGazprom, which
controls natural gas pipelines feeding Russian gas to Armenia and owns
the Armenian section of a pipeline feeding Iranian gas to the country.
In January, Gazprom’s banking arm, Gazprombank, bought 80 percent of
Areximbank, one of Armenia’s largest retail banks.