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High Gas Price, Ruined Families And Ovid`s Metamorphoses

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  • High Gas Price, Ruined Families And Ovid`s Metamorphoses

    HIGH GAS PRICE, RUINED FAMILIES AND OVID`S METAMORPHOSES

    news.am
    March 1 2011
    Armenia

    Armenia`s gas policy is number one issue for the entire population
    now. The high gas price is ruining families, and the people is ready
    to rise, Vahan Hovhannisyan, Chairman of the Armenian Revolutionary
    Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) faction, stated in Parliament,
    commenting on the ARF-D`s initiative to set up an ad hoc gas committee.

    "The ad hoc committee is to answer the following question: Why does
    Armenia purchases gas from Russia for U.S. $180 per 1,000 cubic meters
    and sell it to the population for U.S. $360? Why does Moldova, with a
    similar territory and population, purchase Russian gas for U.S. $233
    and sell it to the population at U.S. $312? Did they not want or were
    they unable? That is the question the ad hoc committee must answer,"
    Hovhannisyan said.

    He stressed that the committee will not raise a question about the
    reasons for Russia raising the gas price for Armenia. "It would be
    the right thing to ask this question though. Why did Russia raise its
    gas price for us? It did because we failed to properly explain our
    situation. It did because we failed to properly explain our role to
    it," Hovhannisyan said. He pointed out that the ad hoc gas committee
    will be a trump card in President Serzh Sargsyan`s hands in discussing
    the issue with his Russian counterpart and allow him to defend his
    position better.

    Hovhannisyan stressed that the committee can propose ways of reducing
    gas prices for consumers. "One of the ways is as follows: since
    gas-supply is a monopoly, the Government can set the highest rates for
    it. You cannot sell gas to consumers at a higher price. Apply modern
    technologies,` the Government can say to the monopolist," the MP said.

    If things go on like this, Armenia will lose its forests because the
    population will fell them to use as fuel. He urged the Parliament to
    support the ARF-D`s initiative to set up the gas committee because
    they were not elected "only to sit and press the buttons."

    "I think most of the Parliament members received classical education,
    know Latin and read Ovid`s `Metamorphoses` in the original,"
    Hovhannisyan said. He proposed postponing the voting until the next
    four-day sitting of the Parliament as the assembly hall was almost
    empty. His request was satisfied.




    From: A. Papazian
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