SCPEC Chairman cannot explain how petrol prices are determined (video)
Armenian lawmaker Nikol Pashinyan today asked the chairman of the State Commission for Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC) to explain why petrol prices are higher in Armenia than in Georgia. “A new company called Rosneft-Armenia has emerged in Armenia which had a profit of AMD 15 billion in 2015. Activities of this company are obscure. According to press reports, Rosneft-Armenia (a subsidiary of Rosneft - a leader in the Russian petroleum industry) does nothing but selling the products of Rosneft Company. Thus, Rosneft-Armenia receives a profit of AMD 15 billion without doing anything,” Pashinyan said. “Our studies show that at the beginning of 2014 when prices began to fall in the world, petrol prices significantly dropped in Armenia. Three companies – two Russian and one Bulgarian – import petroleum products to Armenia. As for the comparison between prices in Armenia and Georgia, I must say that there are three main factors, and one of them is linked to transportation,” SCPEC Chairman Artak Shaboyan said. “Georgia pays import duty on the border while Armenia does not. Georgia also pays customs duty for importing products from Russia but we do not pay. But as you see prices are 50 percent higher in Armenia than in Georgia. Today, people living in Noyemberyan region often cross the border with Georgia to fill cheap petrol there,” Pashinyan said. “I cannot explain the decisions of our economic entities,” Mr Shaboyan said in reply.
