Armenian Prime Minister refuses to cancel tariff increase

The decision to raise electricity tariffs will not be cancelled; however, needy families can hope to receive compensations from the budget, Ovik Abramyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, has stated today.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 17, the Commission for Regulation of Public Services (CRPS) of Armenia made a decision to increase electricity tariffs, starting from August 1, by 6.93 drams per 1 kW/h. This decision caused a series of protests around the country.

Today, at a sitting of the government, the Premier Abramyan said that the decision to increase the electricity tariff would not be abolished. According to his story, instead, the Armenian authorities will allocate a subsidy in the amount of 24,000 drams (about 50 US dollars) to each needy family. The total annual subsidies will amount to 2.5 billion drams (about 5.29 million US dollars), the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The Premier has also called on demonstrators to take a constructive stance and start negotiating with the authorities. "By blocking one of the main thoroughfares of the city – Bagramyan Avenue – protesters will not achieve any result," said Abramyan.

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