YEREVAN. – Armenia can receive a larger volume of natural gas from Iran, but this is a political matter. 

Chairman Gagik Makaryan of the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia said the abovementioned during a press conference on Friday.

In his view, Iran would be happy to increase the amount of gas supply to Armenia because Iran has difficulties due to the economic sanctions that are imposed upon the country. Thus, the Iranian gas could become for Armenia an alternative to the gas which Gazprom Company supplies.  

As per Makaryan, the current reviewing of the price of the Russian natural gas is partially because of the ArmRusGazprom Company’s excessive costliness, high salaries, 30-35 percent profitability, and, in general, by its “super elite” nature.

Reflecting on the Armenian government’s pledge to subsidize the imminent increase in the price of the Russian natural gas being supplied to Armenia, Gagik Makaryan asked a rhetorical question: “At whose expense will the subsidy be implemented?” In line with his calculations, if the gas price increases, $40-50 million additional taxes will be collected for the budget, but the government directs a small fraction of this amount to providing assistance to social groups.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am