Epress.am News from Armenia
The four parties not part of the ruling coalition — Armenian National Congress, Prosperous Armenia Party, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), and Heritage Party — will participate in the work of the ad-hoc parliamentary "gas commission". The parties offered delegates for the commission and even agreed with ruling coalition members for Republican Party of Armenia MP Davit Harutyunyan (pictured) to be the head the commission. MP Rubik Hakobyan, representing the Heritage Party in the gas commission, conveyed this news to RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun) [AM].
The representative of the Prosperous Armenia Party, Mikael Melkumyan, was elected as the commission's vice chair.
The Heritage Party representative said the commission will address the main issues beginning tomorrow. They resolved mainly organizational issues at the commission's first meeting on Monday. "According to the volume of work, [the commission] was conditionally divided into four groups, and at the next meeting we will decide who has what preferences, what group he'll be included in," said Hakobyan.
The gas commission, according to the draft put forth by the Republican Party of Armenia, will study the legality of Armenia's $300 million debt to the Russian party accumulated between 2011 and 2013, and the basis for its size, as well as the assessment process of Armenia's 20% stake in ArmRosGazprom, but it won't address the controversial gas contracts signed in Yerevan on Dec. 2, 2013.
The commission will also examine the formation of gas prices and consumer concerns regarding the low emission of gas. Though, according to the gas contracts, Armenia is obliged to procure natural gas from Russian state company Gazprom till 2044, the commission will also consider alternative gas imports.
The commission has 10 members, 5 from the ruling coalition and 5 from non-ruling parties, and will work behind closed doors — without the presence of members of the media.