Interfax
April 21 2004
Armenia, Iran negotiating gas pipeline construction
Yerevan. (Interfax) – Yerevan is holding talks with Tehran on
constructing a gas pipeline between Iran and Armenia to fully satisfy
Armenia’s internal demand for gas, President Robert Kocharian said at
a Tuesday press conference.
No other options are being discussed, because they could be
problematic for Armenia, Kocharian said. “We are discussing this
project only with the purpose to improve Armenia’s energy security,”
the president said.
The construction of the second power transmission line is continuing.
The line will make it possible to supply electricity to Iran in
exchange for gas, while “other options are quite problematic,”
Kocharian said.
The signing of a final agreement on constructing a gas pipeline
between Iran and Armenia is expected when Iranian Petroleum and Gas
Minister Bijan Namdar-Zanganeh visits Yerevan in late May.
The construction of the gas pipeline should begin in late 2004 and be
finished in 2006.
In line with agreements signed earlier, the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
is expected to be 141-kilometer long, and 100 kilometers of it will
be located in Iran and 41 in Armenia. The project has been estimated
at $120 million.