I Rate It Very Poorly: Minister Papoyan on Liquefied Gas Price Increase

I have had numerous discussions with the Georgian side, but those negotiations have been about cognac. There has been no such conversation regarding liquefied gas; there were public discussions, and related to those public discussions, I have provided the necessary documents and reports to our law enforcement agencies and the Public Services Regulatory Commission. This was stated by the Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan during a press briefing.

In response to a journalist's inquiry regarding allegations that Armenian drivers are being asked for bribes ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 at the Georgian border, Papoyan replied, "I asked the head of the Anti-Corruption Committee to invite you and ask what information you have. If what you said is correct, a criminal case would naturally be initiated." Responding to concerns that similar processes are present at the Russian border, the minister remarked, "Dear colleagues, now you are mentioning something that is happening with the participation of a customs official from a third country. Now the next question is, do you know, for example, in Stavropol or, I don't know, this or that Georgian city, perhaps a traffic police officer is stopping someone and demanding a bribe of, say, 1,000 or 5,000 drams?" Papoyan requested the Public Services Regulatory Commission to comment on that.

When asked how the Minister of Economy assesses the rise in liquefied gas prices, he responded, "I rate it very poorly because I am also someone who fills up with liquefied gas; of course I rate it poorly! Do I like buying something that is 20-30 or 40 drams more expensive? Of course not!"