Monday, August 15, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

Armenia Considers Increase in Iranian Gas Supply

by Contributor
March 19, 2014
in Armenia, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories
4
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meets with Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan in Tehran, Nov. 2013

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Armenia will start negotiations with Iran soon on the possibility of dramatically increasing imports of Iranian natural gas that are currently dwarfed by supplies from Russia, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisian revealed on Wednesday.

Movsisian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that the Armenian government is ready to purchase up to 2 billion cubic meters of Iranian gas each year.

The figure matches annual demand in gas of Armenian households, thermal power plants and other corporate consumers. It is being fully met by Russia’s Gazprom monopoly.

Armenia has also imported around 500 million cubic meters of Iranian gas per annum until now. It has been used for generating electricity exported to the Islamic Republic.

Movsisian gave no details of the planned gas talks with the Iranians as he briefly spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian service. His announcement came just days after Iran’s ambassador in Yerevan, Mohammad Reisi, said Tehran is ready to boost gas supplies to Armenia and offer more beneficial terms for that purpose. He said the issue may be on the agenda of the next session of an Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation due in May.

Movsisian’s remarks were construed by Aram Marjanian, a Yerevan-based energy expert, as an indication that the Armenian leadership would now like to diversify supplies. “Iranian gas has always been an interesting alternative to Armenia’s energy sector and other gas consumers,” said Marjanian.

The minister’s revelation comes as a surprise given the fact that the Armenian government completed a highly controversial deal with Gazprom as recently as in January. The government ceded its remaining 20 percent stake in Armenia’s gas distribution network to Gazprom and granted it 30-year exclusive rights in the domestic energy market. In return, the Russian energy conglomerate wrote off a $300 million debt incurred by the government as a consequence of secretly subsidizing the Russian gas price for Armenia from 2011-2013.

Gazprom also mostly reversed a 50 percent surge in the tariff announced in April 2013, setting it at almost $190 million per thousand cubic meters, or well below international market levels. The discount was officially attributed to President Serzh Sarkisian’s unexpected decision to make Armenia part of the Russian-led Customs Union.

Critics of the deal, among them Armenia’s main opposition parties, say that the Sarkisian administration should have increased Iranian gas imports instead of deepening Armenia’s dependence on Russia for energy resources. Government officials and Movsisian in particular have insisted that Armenia buys the bulk of its natural gas from Russia because it is much cheaper than Iranian gas.

Reisi publicly questioned Movsisian’s claims late last year, implying that the Islamic Republic is ready to sell gas to its sole Christian neighbor at an even lower price. The Iranian ambassador also claimed that Yerevan has never sought to officially negotiate with Tehran over more large-scale gas supplies.

Contributor

Contributor

Next Post

Serzh Sarkisian’s Catalogue of Failures: A Brief Foreign Policy Survey

Comments 4

  1. Armenian says:
    8 years ago

    Considers? This should be a non-brainer and an unequivocal yes. Iran has more of a stake in a prosperous Armenia than Russia does. The Turkic issue hits closer to home for Iran than for Russia.

    Reply
    • Armanen says:
      8 years ago

      Wrong again. Russia has been a victim of Islamic terrorism. We have a government which sponsors state terrorism next door. Your Russophobia blinds you to the facts.

      Reply
      • Armenian says:
        8 years ago

        Iran has nothing to do with the Chechen rebels in Russia. Think before you speak and do some research. Also, my aim is to utilize what Iran is practically giving, not make Armenia apart of Iran like you wish to make it apart of Russia. Use everyone for what they can offer, there’s no need to fully commit to anyone.

        If anything, Iran is more skeptical about Pan-Turkism and the strength of Turkey-Azerbaijan because of the occasional threats from Azeri nationalists claiming that all of Northern Iran belongs to them. That is the main reason in the rift between Azerbaijan and Iran in the early 1990s, but I’m sure you didn’t know about that. Iran would be more interested in a secure Armenia as a means of deterring its own Azeri population as well as the government of Azerbaijan. A weaker Azerbaijan via a stronger Armenia is also in Iran’s immediate interests because it hinders pan-Turkic activity and collaboration, which is more of a threat to Iran than to Russia.

        Reply
  2. Dr.Hermon Mihranian says:
    8 years ago

    Iran for centuries has always supported the Armenia cause

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Dr.Hermon Mihranian Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

UPDATED: 3 Dead, 61 Injured, 25 Missing after Explosion Rocks Yerevan Shopping Center

UPDATED: 3 Dead, 61 Injured, 25 Missing after Explosion Rocks Yerevan Shopping Center

19 hours ago
Armenia’s Seryozha Barseghyan Named European Youth Weightlifting Champion

Armenia’s Seryozha Barseghyan Named European Youth Weightlifting Champion

2 days ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • www.asbarez.com
    • August 15, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to