RIA OREANDA, Russia
Economic Press Review
March 25, 2004 Thursday

Yerevan Realizes Anti-Russian Gas Project

NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA

On March 23, 2004 Armenian Minister of Electric Energy Armen
Movsiyan announced at a session of the country s Government that
Iran-Armenia pipeline which construction is planned to be finished in
the beginning of 2005 will be prolonged through the Georgian
territory, than by the bottom of the Black Sea to Ukraine and then to
Western Europe. So, the Irani and Turkmenistan s gas will be supplied
to countries of the EU passing Russia . As a result the Russian
budget will lose several billion dollars every year. So, the most
reliable partner of Russia in the Caucasus Armenia is realizing what
the US have not been able to do: it creates an alternative route of
gas export from Central Asia to the West.