YEREVAN, April 7. /ARKA/. Armenia offered Russia to pay for gas in the Russian currency, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Monday reporting on the results of his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We are constantly talking about high dollarization within the EAEU, but we still pay for Russian gas in dollars. Our proposal was that it would be more correct if we paid for gas in rubles, because I think it is more logical, also within the EAEU," he said.

The prime minister also spoke about the application submitted by Gazprom Armenia to increase gas tariffs and said that this matter was also discussed.

"I expect that we will be able to discuss this topic and with the president of Russia and to find a common denominator," Pashinyan said.

About the application of Gazprom Armenia

On April 1, Gazprom Armenia CJSC applied to the Public Services Regulatory Commission of Armenia to revise the price for the natural gas provided to Armenian consumers.

According to the application published by Gazprom-Armenia CJSC the day before, the company proposes to revise the current preferential price for socially vulnerable categories of the population upward, and the price for other consumers, on the contrary, downward bringing them to a single indicator.

In particular, for consumers eligible to have a family or social allowance who consume up to 600 cubic meters. gas per year, increase the tariff from the current 100,000 drams (almost $200), to 135,909.6 drams (almost $ 270) per 1 cubic meter (all prices hereinafter are VAT inclusive).

And for those consuming up to 10 thousand cubic meters of gas per month, it is proposed to lower the gas price from the current 139,000 drams to 135,909.6 drams per 1 thousand cubic meters. Changes in the price policy for consumers using more than 10 thousand cubic meters per month, such as greenhouses and processing companies, are also proposed. It is proposed that the changes take effect on July 1, 2020 for all consumers, with the exception of the thermal power plants, for which the proposed tariffs will enter into force on August 1, 2020.

The company also proposes to revise the prices for the gas supply system operator’s services from the current 25.07 drams to 23.124 drams per 1,000 cubic meters. The price for the distribution of natural gas is proposed to be reduced from 26,947.089 drams to 21,724.785 drams per 1 thousand cubic meters, and instead, the price for natural gas transportation services increased from 11 347.532 drams to 13 282.688 drams per 1,000 cubic meters.

On January 1, 2020, the Russian holding Gazprom kept for Armenia a gas price (at the border) of $ 165 per 1,000 cubic meters unchanged for the coming year.

Gazprom-Armenia CJSC is a 100% subsidiary of the Russian holding Gazprom, which supplies Russian natural gas to the domestic market of Armenia. The company also carries out the transportation, storage, distribution and sale of gas as well as reconstruction and expansion of the gas transportation system and underground gas storage facilities in the republic. ($ 1 – AMD 504.96). -0---