AGAIN GAS, AGAIN FRAUD?
Lragir.am
28 March 06
The government is taking measures to relieve the consequences of
expensive gas, but meanwhile it is waiting for the outcome of the
negotiations with Russia, stated Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
to news reporters on March 28.
However, the prime minister declined to reveal what Armenia had offered
Gasprom in return for “a not very high price,” as the co-chair of
the Russian-Armenian intergovernmental commission, Defense Minister
Serge Sargsyan had put it.
“We will tell when it is time,” says Prime Minister
Margaryan. According to him, the negotiations will finish in the
nearest future, so the Armenian society will soon learn how our
government managed to persuade Gasprom. It is obvious, however, that
the public will not learn about it on time, as the prime minister said;
as soon as it becomes known what Armenia had offered to Russians in
return for low price of gas, it will not be essential, for it will
already be a fact. Whereas, the problem is much serious. In fact,
they are preparing the society psychologically and mentally that there
is only one alternative to what we are going to cede or to offer –
expensive gas and hard social consequences. So this time the government
of Armenia prepares an excellent social basis, and naturally people
predicting a threat to their budgets will instinctively agree to
anything except emptying their already empty pockets.
Let us suppose, however, that the government of Armenia has,
nevertheless, made a dignified deal for the state with Gasprom. It
does not imply that everything was done for the sake of the Republic
of Armenia. After guaranteeing a low price of gas the government will
have to account for the decision of the Public Utilities Commission,
which has already boosted the tariffs of gas for the population and
industries, assuming that the price of gas would be 110 dollars on
the border. And the decision of the commission will be in effect
for at least 6 months, and the price will not be reasonable. But the
government will not allow this, stated Andranik Margaryan once again.
“We can solve this problem by a government decision only. In other
words, what additional resources the government possesses that can
ensure certain compensation. The commission has done its job, the rest
is our problem, it is a matter of resources, what resources we have,
how much we will manage to cut the price,” said the prime minister.
It would be reassuring if it were not so very sly and extremely
distressing.
The Public Utilities Commission has, apparently, decided on something
that does not exist yet. The government is still negotiating, whereas
the commission already has adopted a decision. If the government
belonged to Armenia, and the commission belonged to Equatorial Guinea,
for instance, the disaccord in their actions could be justified. But
in this case two governmental organizations are concerned. And now
the prime minister announces that the government will find a way
to compensate for the price of gas, maintained by the commission,
on its resources.