13 June 2013, 11:45
Azerbaijan is ready to solve Armenia's gas problem in exchange for Karabakh
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) can consider the issue of gas supplies to Armenia, should Yerevan revise its policy on the Karabakh conflict, a SOCAR's statement says.
For the first time the Azerbaijan's option to supply gas to Armenia was announced by Rovnag Abdullaev, the president of the SOCAR, when he spoke to the "ANS" TV Company. Abdullaev said that if Armenia asked for gas, Azerbaijan would, "based on the principles of humanity," make the deliveries.
According to Ilham Shaban, an Azerbaijani energy expert and the head of the Oil Research Centre named "Caspian Barrel", the SOCAR's statement is more political in nature, rather than the one pursuing any commercial objectives.
He drew attention to the fact that the offer was made by the SOCAR at the time, when the Russian "Gazprom" had raised the gas prices for Armenia from 180 to 270 US dollars per 1000 cubic meters; and the Armenian society began to talk seriously whether it is reasonable to further to maintain the monopoly of the Russian company.
Source: CK correspondent
