Wednesday, February 3 2016 14:47

High prices on petroleum in Armenia are the result of criminal monopoly, Head of ANC Faction Levon Zurabyan announced around the world, however in Armenia the prices drop very slowly and continue to remain high. " During last year the prices on petroleum dropped by 11%, while in Russia they dropped by 33%, in Germany and France by 18%, in Italy by 26% and in Turkey by 40%", Zurabyan noted. In this context he added that for example inhabitants of Noyemberyan go to Georgia by a road fired by Azerbaijani forces in order to get cheaper petroleum. " During last three months the prices on petroleum declined in Georgia by 16.5% while in Armenia only by 4%", he stated. The oppositionist also added that monopoly is the reason. "If in 2007 there were more than 20 companies running in the field of oil import, according to official data of 2016 there is only one company "RosNeft Armenia", which earns excess profit", he noted. 

Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielyan responded that the government has already applied to the Armenian State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition on this issue. According to him, the problems raised by the MP are in the limelight of the government and also cause concerns.  "The issue of petroleum prices is being discussed in the Commission in order to reveal the reasons, whether such prices may be caused by transport expenses or there are other reasons as well", he noted. 

To note, on January 14, Artak Shaboyan, Head of the Armenian State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition, told reporters that in 2015 the petroleum prices in Armenia fell from 470 AMD to 410 AMD, or by 13%. In the meantime, oil prices dropped significantly (from 50USD to 33USD per barrel). As regards the incommensurable decline in petroleum prices amid the tangible decline in international oil prices, Shaboyan said that the share of oil in the petroleum sold in Armenia is 7%. In Russia petroleum bears high taxes. In addition, the transportation needs significant funds. Therefore, the share of the impact of the oil price reduction is 7-8% and the price fall does not influence the petroleum prices in Armenia much, he said. Earlier Armenian Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Iosif Isayan told ArmInfo that in 2015, according to the indicative balance, Russia supplied 136.2 thsd tons of duty-free petroleum to Armenia, including 120 thsd tons of Russian-made petroleum. The deputy minister added that in 2015 Armenia received 150 thsd tons of Russian-made diesel fuel, 47 thsd tons of fuel for jet engines, (including 8 thsd tons of Russian-made fuel), as well as 29.2 thsd tons of Russian-made oil tar for bitumen production.