Not far from a symbol of the Armenian independence, the ministry of foreign affairs, a correspondent of “Mir” TV channel was stopping citizens and asking them questions. I tried to pass nearby, but I was stopped by her microphone and attractive smile. I couldn’t be indifferent. She asked me whether I was satisfied with the situation in the energetic system and whether there were problems in that field or not. I said no. She continued smiling. She asked me whether I knew that the energy distribution networks of Armenia had been given to a new owner. I said that I knew that. I said that I didn’t like that idea since the new owners were Russian, as for them, they are very indifferent to such issues, furthermore, when those issues concern countries of the third world. She stopped smiling; it was clear already that they didn’t need what I said and were going to cut the recording of. However, the lady asked me one more question, “Do you think that Armenia is a country of the third world?” I said no, the Russians think the same too. The girl became more thoughtful; definitely she didn’t know that the border with Georgia was closed for some time to be reconstructed without notifying beforehand, she didn’t know that very often in cold winter the pipeline that imports gas from Russia is exploded, and probably electricity supply networks may be damaged in the same way and in the same period too… She didn’t know that and surprisingly approached another citizen. She thought that definitely the latter would say that he was happy to see the networks given to the Russians.
The same day the new owners of the power distribution network announced that the aborigines (they used this word) must be grateful for sitting at home and paying reasonable prices for energy and should not be interested in who the owner is. The mentioned reasonable price is seven cents per kilowatt, while it used to be 4,5 cents three years ago. The problem is not the mentioned change, but the way they relate to us, the aborigines. They have taken our cascade in Sevan, are producing energy with the help of our own resources (Sevan) and are selling it to us. They say that we have given those businesses to them because of the fact that the mentioned system was almost out of order and we didn’t have enough resources to renovate and operate them again. They say such things, meanwhile Armenia receives huge money from abroad and does not know what to do with it, as a result of which the currency exchange rates are changing and thus affecting the economy.
The problem is not the lack of resources. The Russians don’t keep in secret the fact that the initiator of giving the energy system to the Russians is Serj Sargsyan. The problem is the fact that the Russian “expansion” is done with the help of the defense ministry of our country. It means that the Russians are taking our energy system and instead of that promise us to continue being our strategic partner (i.e. provide with military facilities and take care of the Russian military basements in Armenia). In other words, for instance, if Georgia gets support from NATO to be integrated in it, NATO pays Georgia for it, in our case we have to pay Russia ourselves to be their partner.
Of course, the problem of the Karabakh conflict should not be ignored here and as well as there is a legend saying that Russia recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in words only, but helps us indirectly. It is not excluded that they are right concerning it. The problem is the fact that Russia does not do that “free of payment”. Accordingly, we wander what Russia will do if Armenia does not have anything to pay any more. Definitely, they will not help us any more; we can’t be integrated in NATO either. Why does NATO need a state where there are Russian military troops and which energy system is concentrated in the hands of the Russians?
In fact, it turns out that for having a partner to support us connected with the Karabakh issue we are selling all what we have. This is not a tragedy; however, we should try to solve the problem while we have anything to pay.