Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) has already started consultations on the reasonableness of the new electricity tariff, Armenia’s PM Hovik Abrahamyan said at the opening of “Baze-2015” Pan-Armenian Youth Assembly.

“Today we also discussed this issue with the president of the republic. We don’t have a right, the law doesn’t permit us to conduct audit in the Commission. But the origin of the electricity tariff is important to us. We should have substantiation. I think we’ll complete the consultations in 2-3 months, after which we’ll discuss the issue with the president and will make the government stance public,” Abrahamyan said.

The Government, according to him, will be consistent in this issue and will try to help the citizens. “Subsidizing large business before the completion of audit isn’t right, I think. The Government doesn’t have to do this, but it will subsidize the electricity expenses of the population, as the president said. And we’ll do this at the expense of extra-budgetary funds, namely the sale of Vorotan Cascade HPP. And after the completion of consultations, we will already take a decision on the further actions,” Abrahamyan said.  

No PM or president wants price hike of goods, he stressed. “We realize this will result in the citizens’ discontent, But the question is whether we want to have electricity for 24 hours or 2-4 hours. If what happened in the Russian company was a theft, let the audit reveal it, and let the thieves be held liable. This has nothing to do with the Armenian authorities. We have never wanted to be the enemy of our nation,” the PM said.

According to Abrahamyan, if the electricity price rise is unreasonable, the tariffs will change.