Hrant Bagratyan about Gas Price Rise (video)
InterviewsThe interlocutor of Lurer.com is ANC MP and former Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan.
-Mr Bagratyan, a lot is spoken about possible increase of gas price. How realistic is this increase to you?
-Gas price increase is rather realistic to me.
-Maybe it’s the result of inadequate work. What would you condition price rise with?
-I think that our authorities shouldn’t have any connection with gas price increase. At last, gas price refers to ArmRosGasprom, which buys gas from Russia. Who does it belong to? Russia. Whos’ the seller? Again Russia. What our Minister of Energetics negotiates for, I can’t understand. What is his role there? Why does he interfere with it?
-As for the rise of gas price Gasprom increases the price of wholesale gas, as the right belongs to them, the system belongs to them. I’m of the opinion, that we shouldn’t even set price for gas, it’s not the case for the regulatory commission.
-Mr Bagratyan what do you think, when will the price rise, from October of this year? There are opinions that gas price will increase after presidential elections of 2013.
-Wholesale price rise can be before presidential elections, if the retail price doesn’t change. In general it’s possible that the retail price won’t also change, because there is great difference between wholesale and retail prices and profitability of ArmRosGasprom is very high. I think that prices of electricity and of other things will also rise together with gas.
Azatuhi Araskhanyan