Sargsyan in Moscow for meeting of Eurasian Union as Parliament ratifies deal giving Gazprom monopoly of Armenian gas market until 2043.

The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan is in Moscow where on Tuesday he will participate in a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Eurasian Economic Union. Armenia decided recently to join the embryonic structure that Russia hopes to turn into an economic force in Eurasia.

As President Sargsyan left for Moscow the Armenian Parliament ratified an agreement that the government had earlier reached with Russia through which the Armenian government sold the remaining 20% shareholding in Armenia's gas distributor, ArmRusGazProm to the Russian energy giant Gazprom, which already onwened most of the shares. The agreement also provides for ArmRusGazProm to have a monopoly of the Armenian gas market until 2043. Opposition parties boycotted the vote in the Armenian Parliament and the agreement was approved with 71 votes in favour.

Demonstrators had earlier jeered government MPs as they were entering parliament with cries of "traitors" and "slaves".

source: commonspace.eu with news.am

photo: The Armenian Parliament in session (archive picture)

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