Armenia is in difficult situation due to increasing the price for Russian gas

Yerevan/17.05.13/Turan-ArmInfo: Armenia can not use  the Iranian gas as an alternative to  the Russian gas, the journalists were told by  Gagik Makaryan, the  chairman of the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia.

According to him, Iran would be happy to supply additional gas to Armenia as an alternative to Russian, the prices for which Russia proposes to increase by 50%  for Armenia. However, it is  necessary to make a political decision and start to build a new gas pipeline Iran-Armenia, as the current pipeline I not able to pump  two billion cubic meters of gas per year.

"It will be necessary to supply gas under high pressure, and then to reduce it at the border for the  final users;  to be honest, I'm not ready to answer the question if it is possible," said Makaryan. He added that Armenia was in full energy dependence on Russia, as almost all the energy is delivered from this country, and the Armenian strategic energy assets are the property of Russia,  and there is not other alternative.

Based on the growth rates for imports of Russian gas from the current $180 per  one thousand cubic meters to $270,  the  gas monopoly "ArmRosgasprom" (80% of the shares belong to JSC "Gazprom"),  and presented to the Commission  for Regulation Public Utilities request to raise gas prices for the population at 67.4%, and for large consumers - 61.3% - from $ 243 per one thousand cubic meters to $392. -02D-