Gazprom (Russia) has agreed to supply Armenia with natural gas for 180 USD per 1 thsd cu m before the talks on the gas prices are over, Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan said in Parliament on Wednesday.
As a result, the gas price for Armenia is the lowest of the prices Russia offers its partners, Movsisyan said. He added that nothing has been said about it before, because wide coverage of the issue could have led to undesirable consequences and the price would have been more than $270, since other countries and companies also raise the same issue. Time was needed to make the best and most acceptable decision for Armenia. He stressed that the decision on the rise in gas prices has nothing to do with the past elections in Armenia. The Government has taken a decision to subsidize the gas price on the border by approximately 30%, however, the subsidizing methodology will be clear after the talks with Russia are over, he said.
The minister also stressed that though there is an Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, the republic cannot receive Iranian fuel owing to its big price component.
Following the rise of the Russian gas tariff for Armenia from the current $180 per 1,000 cu m to $270, ArmRusgasprom applied to the Public Services Regulatory Commission for increasing the gas tariff for the population by 67.4% - from the current 132,000 drams to 221,000 drams per 1000 cu m, and for the large consumers by 61.3% - from $243 per 1000 cu m to $392.