YEREVAN.- Armenia should do everything possible to find alternative solutions on the issue of natural gas supply. Mikael Melkumyan from the Prosperous Armenia Party said this when the parliament was discussing his candidacy for the post of head of a standing committee on Eurasian integration.

Citing the recent decision of the Russian Gazprom to raise the price of natural gas it ships to Armenia from $150 per one thousand cubic meters to $165 Melkumyan said  it is important that cooperation with the neighboring Iran on supply of natural gas is not limited only to the gas for electricity swap deal.

Also as part of gas for electricity swap deal Armenia has been receiving natural gas from Iran since 2015 May, which is converted into electricity here and is shipped back to Iran.  The Iran-paid construction of the third 400-kilowatt high-voltage line is under way now and is expected to be completed later this year. 

According to Melkumyan, the swap deal is quite profitable for Armenia. In his words, over the past three months, the volume of Iranian gas to Armenia has reached 515-520 million cubic meters.

"If we are able to triple the volume of gas coming from Iran, breaking the mark of 1-1.5 billion cubic meters, we will achieve a serious positive balance in the energy system of Armenia," he said.