Gazprom is no rush to respond to Armenia`s Deputy Prime Minister  Mher Grigoryan`s letter  

ArmInfo.No response has yet been received from the Russian side.  Similarly, RA Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan commented on numerous questions voiced during the press conference by journalists regarding the letter sent to the  Russian Prime Minister Alexey Miller by the Prime Minister yesterday,  with a proposal to discuss the issue of lowering the price of gas  imported by the country.

<In my opinion, this is due to weekends and  working days in the Russian Federation. And in this regard, I believe  that we will get the answer a little later>, he said.

Regarding the settlement of energy resources in national currency,  Mher Grigoryan noted that this issue is regularly discussed at the  EAEU site, not only with Armenia, but also with other member  countries. <It is clear that from an economic point of view, it will  be more beneficial for the importing country to make settlements in  local currencies, or for the country from which energy is imported.  Firstly, because of currency fluctuations, well, because energy  resources make up a significant share in the overall structure of  trade. And if we want to increase the volume of payments in national  currency in the EAEU, which will be beneficial for all parties, then  it is necessary to start negotiations on the energy resources>, he  said, emphasizing that we are talking not only about gas, but also  other types of fuel, imported from the Russian Federation.

"Our desire is to bring the EAEU to common standards," he added. In  this regard, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that this issue is being  intensively discussed. Regarding bilateral relations (with the  Russian Federation), he emphasized that such discussions today exist  solely in the form of a proposal from the Armenian side.

To recall, earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, on behalf  of the Government, wrote to the head of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, in  writing with a proposal to start new negotiations on changing the  price of gas supplied to Armenia. This appeal is due to the negative  impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic on the socio-economic  development of countries. It was also voiced a proposal to establish  the possibility of settlements for imported gas in national  currencies.

However, the very next day, Gazprom Armenia CJSC published a release  about plans to apply to the Public Services Regulatory Commission  (PSRC) with a proposal starting July 1 to increase the tariff for  subscribers who consume up to 600 cubic meters of gas per year, who  are entitled to family or social benefits, from 100 to 135.9 thousand  drams. It is proposed to lower the price for subscribers using up to  10 thousand cubic meters of gas annually from 139 to 135.9 thousand  drams.  We add that the Armenian government subsidizes the gas tariff  for socially vulnerable segments of the population.