Yerevan, Teheran sign treaty on building gas pipeline
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 12, 2004 Wednesday
YEREVAN, May 13 — A basic treaty on construction of a gas pipeline
from Iran to Armenia will be signed in the Armenian capital on
Thursday. For this purpose, Iranian Oil and Gas Minister Bijan Zanganeh
arrives in Yerevan, Tass learnt on Thursday from press service head
of the Armenian Energy ministry Lusine Arutyunyan. The Iranian guest
will be received by President Robert Kocharyan and Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan.
The project provides for laying down a 100-kilometer gas pipeline along
the Iranian territory and 41 kilometers in Armenia. The pipeline will
pump daily 1.5 million cubic meters of Turkmen gas. The approximate
cost of the project is 96 million U.S. dollars.
According to Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsesyan, it is planned
to start construction within this year and to complete tentatively
in 2006.
The gas pipeline from Iran is to be built only to meet domestic needs
of Armenia, Kocharyan emphasized. According to the president, any
other direction of the pipeline, for instance to Europe, is not under
discussion, since this will raise problems for the republic. “We regard
this project as a serious question for Armenian energy security,”
the president underlined.
Besides, the republic is now building the second high-voltage power
transmission line which will, apart from boosting power flow to
Iran, be used for selling power, generated in Armenia, in exchange
for deliveries of Iranian gas. According to the president, “this is
profitable business”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress