Armenian Prime Minister demands to reduce tariffs for gas and electricity

Today, Karen Karapetyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, has instructed the specialized agencies to develop a programme for maximum reduction of tariffs for gas and electricity for the population at the expense of other consumers.

In June 2015, in Armenia, the decision to increase electricity tariffs resulted in mass protests, during which the police used force.

"Tariffs for gas and electricity in Armenia should be revised," Karen Karapetyan has said today at the government meeting, the first one after his appointment.

The Armenian Prime Minister has instructed the Public Service Regulatory Commission of Armenia (PSRC), the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to discuss and present proposals to revise the tariff policy, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

"We are talking of the maximum reduction of tariffs for socially vulnerable layers of the population at the expense of other consumers. It is necessary to produce a stimulating tariff effect on the businesses, in particularly, in agriculture and in processing industry," noted Karen Karapetyan.

He has emphasized that the above maximum reduction of tariffs should be done not at the expense of the budget, but at the expense of the organizations that provide those services, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.