Epress.am News from Armenia
The Government of Armenia is no longer accumulating a debt in its relations with the Russian company Gazprom, Public Services Regulatory Commission chief Robert Nazaryan said in Armenia's National Assembly today, replying to Armenian National Congress MP Hrant Bagratyan's question. At the same time, Nazaryan noted that the information he has is not precise, as this matter is not within his Commission's jurisdiction.
Recall, from 2011 to 2013, Gazprom increased the price of gas to Armenia; however, the ruling authorities did not report this during various elections (presidential, parliamentary, municipal), calculating the gas at its former price, as a result of which the country accumulated a $300 million debt to the Russian state company.
Bagratyan also inquired about the salary of ArmRosGazprom employees, in particular members of the board of directors. However, the state official said he could not answer this question.
"The average salary is 227,000 dram [about $554 USD]. The directors' salary is not our problem. They don't have a right to spend more than the salary fund we established," Nazaryan said.
The opposition MP also asked whether the gas supplier fulfills its regulatory obligations, such as importing new pipes for residential buildings once every 5 years. Nazaryan once again said he cannot clearly answer this question, as the Commission conducts selective inspections and have not discovered any violations so far.
The MP, in turn, said the pipes of the building in which he lives have not been replaced in the past 14 years.