ArmInfo.The lack of oversight in Armenia's diesel fuel market is leading to constant artificial price increases, that burden hardworking citizens rather than the government, as stated by Garnik Danielyan, a member of parliament from the opposition Armenia faction, on his Facebook page.
He noted that over the past week, the price of liquefied gas in Yerevan and the regions has been rising literally hour by hour, reaching 260-300 drams. According to the parliamentarian, shortages have emerged in some places. "It's reached the point where our compatriots are telling each other in Facebook groups which gas stations are still available for purchase. Many are starting to abandon gas cylinders, which is leading to additional expenses. Taxi drivers are also sounding the alarm: the shortage of liquefied gas has disrupted their normal operations," Danielyan wrote, noting that in early April, the price of liquefied gas was 170 drams. "This means we're dealing with a 60-70% increase," he emphasized.
The MP noted that he regularly addresses the issue of fluctuating pricing in the liquefied gas market in Armenia, urging the competent authorities to take steps to regulate it. In this regard, he emphasized the need for a study to determine whether the reasons for the price increase are objective or certain companies are engaging in unfair trade practices.
"If the problem is merely related to supply chains—as is typically claimed in such cases—is it not possible to make the transportation process and potential border delays more manageable?" the MP questioned.
"Regulating the market and ensuring proper supplies should have been the government's focus. I have sent letters to the RA Ministry of Economy and the Competition Protection and Consumer Rights Commission, demanding clarification on when the problem of prices and shortages of liquefied gas will be resolved," he said.
It should be noted that, according to data from the RA Customs Service, liquefied gas is imported primarily from Russia (99.1%), or over 126,871.9 tons in Q1 2025, with a 30.6% increase in volume and a 45.6% increase in customs value (to $42.1 million). Supplies of liquefied gas from Iran decreased by 66% to 553.6 tons (0.4%), with a decrease in customs value by 66.7% to $233.9 thousand. The share of Iraqi liquefied gas accounted for 0.1% or 218.1 tons, which is 68.3% higher than the figure for the previous year, while the customs value increased by 2.8 times to $146 thousand. Smaller volumes of liquefied gas arrived in Armenia from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Belarus, Turkey, China, Germany, and Poland.
