Economist Suren Parsyan, the head of the Economic Research Office of the ARF Bureau, has presented data on the Russian natural gas tariffs in Armenia during the tenure of three leaders – Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan and Nikol Pashinyan.

“Ove the past 20 years, the gas prices for Armenian consumers increased almost threefold, which has had a negative impact on the economy and the living standards of the people,” he wrote on Facebook.

“The Russian gas prices have always depended on political and economic factors. Of course, in the case of Armenia, the political agreements played a key role, but they were accompanied by the transfer of state property of Armenia to the Russian side, in particular, the alienation of the Hrazdan 5th power unit, 20% state share of ArmRosGazprom CJSC, Armenia-Iran gas pipeline, as well as the pre-emptive right to join the 400 kV Armenia-Georgia power transmission lines after their commissioning, etc. The Russian side, in turn, has made large investments in these facilities, creating thousands of jobs.

“However, the current natural gas prices in Armenia are a serious obstacle for the development of business, as a result of which Armenian products become even more expensive and lose their competitiveness in both domestic and foreign markets. The next government, using all its political and personal ties, must first of all effectively negotiate with Russia on reducing the prices of gas at the border by $30-40,” the economist said.