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Wednesday, 26 April 2006
GEORGIAN PRESIDENT BLAMES RUSSIA FOR ELECTRICITY-PRICE RISE
By empty (4/26/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)
President Mikheil Saakashvili criticized Russia on April 25 for \"creating problems\" by sparking a sharp rise in electricity prices due to the increased cost for Russian natural-gas supplies. Speaking at a meeting of the government\'s Energy Commission, President Saakashvili ordered the introduction of new subsidies to offset the increased price of electricity for the \"most vulnerable\" citizens. Although the expected increase in electricity tariffs is not yet known, Finance Minister Aleksi Aleksishvili estimated that about 10 million lari ($5.
President Mikheil Saakashvili criticized Russia on April 25 for \"creating problems\" by sparking a sharp rise in electricity prices due to the increased cost for Russian natural-gas supplies. Speaking at a meeting of the government\'s Energy Commission, President Saakashvili ordered the introduction of new subsidies to offset the increased price of electricity for the \"most vulnerable\" citizens. Although the expected increase in electricity tariffs is not yet known, Finance Minister Aleksi Aleksishvili estimated that about 10 million lari ($5.5 million) would be needed to finance the subsidies. (RFE/RL)