ArmInfo.The rhetoric of our leadership in "gas" relations with Russia, including within the framework of the EAEU, undoubtedly has its own logic. Secretary of the Social Democratic Party ''Citizen's Decision'', economist Suren Sahakyan expressed a similar opinion ArmInfo.
"I can't say much about this logic, given that the situation, the juridical base of these relations is controlled by the ruling force. I can only assume that the latter has its own solution to this issue. In any case, Russia's behavior in the gas issue has nothing to do with partner relations, not to mention allies. First of all, given the fall in energy prices on the international market. It is worth noting that Russia has been selling gas to Europe at heaper price than to its partners in the EAEU long before the price drop, "he said.
According to the politician, such issues certainly need to be resolved, especially in the EAEU partnership environment. And this partnership itself should include the supply of cheap gas within the Union. And the Prime Minister of Armenia periodically voices this issue. Speaking at the online summit of the EAEU leaders on May 19, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated that global challenges dictate the EAEU the urgent need to form a common gas market. "The formation of a unified system of gas tariffs is a necessity that is felt especially urgently in Armenia. I am convinced that the common market will contribute to increasing the competitiveness of goods by increasing the potential of the EAEU many times. Without this, it is impossible to ensure equal business conditions for all states," he emphasized. Sahakyan considers the EAEU not as a single market, but as the focus of mechanisms for resolving certain issues. As a similar mechanism, he considers the creation of an economic hub connecting Russia and other EAEU countries with Iran and China. According to his forecasts, such a hub will assist in the formation of equal relations between partner states. And the lack of its formation, the absence of equal relations, the periodic use of energy by one country as a means of pressure on partners questions the feasibility of the existence of the EAEU.
According to Sahakyan, the current Armenian authorities, unlike their predecessors, are trying to talk with their Russian counterparts on equal terms. The former authorities in a similar situation immediately agreed to raise the price of gas, hiding it from the population, which ended with the formation of another "gas debt." The transfer of the last 20% of Armenia's shares in ArmRosGazprom to Gazprom and the conclusion of a 40-year-old sweatshop agreement with Russia are another examples of the formation of vassal relations with Moscow.
"Even with such a legacy, I don't think that the old vassal relations between Armenia and Russia are preserved. First of all, in view of the attempts of our authorities to get out of the state of dependence on Moscow. But if the authorities decide to re-enter the path of their predecessors, we will get the same foreign policy circuit closed in Moscow that is entirely dependent on energy resources and does not imply the preservation of a certain sovereignty, " Sahakyan summed up. To note, in his response at the same EAEU summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that a single gas tariff in the EAEU implies a single market, a single budget, and a single taxation system. Meanwhile, a similar level of integration in the EAEU, according to his estimates, has not yet been achieved. Accordingly, while prices should be formed on the basis of market conditions. Taking into account costs, investments, providing profit for suppliers.
"The formula of the EAEU countries for gas prices proposed by the draft EAEU Development Strategy until 2025 is supported by Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Our Armenian and Belarusian colleagues have not yet adopted this formula. They have their own point of view on this issue, which consists in creating uniform tariffs. I think that if the positions of our colleagues remain unchanged, it would probably be logical to exclude the item on gas from the draft strategy and approve it at the summit today. Discussions on gas price can be continued at the expert level of the EAEU and EEC ", Putin said.
