Envoy in Azerbaijan denies Iran-Armenia gas pipeline construction launch

ANS TV, Baku
21 Jul 04

[Presenter Natavan Babayeva] The Armenian ambassador in Tehran has
said that Iran has started to construct a gas pipeline from Iran to
Armenia. But the Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan advises us not to
take this report seriously.

[Correspondent, over archive footage] Iran has started to construct a
100-kilometre section of the gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia across
its territory, the Armenian ambassador in Tehran, Gegam Garibdzhanyan,
has told Iran.ru news agency. According to him, the construction will
finish in spring 2006 and is being held at the expense of the Iranian
state.

The Armenian ambassador said that an Iranian company, representatives
of which had visited Armenia a few days ago, would build the
pipeline’s 40-kilometre section across Armenian territory. Although
Garibdzhanyan did not name the company, he said that the state [Iran]
is in control of this company which has the capacity to finish the
construction before the scheduled date. [Passage omitted: background
of pipeline project].

The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Ahad Qaza’i, denied the
statement by the Armenian ambassador to Iran on the construction of
the gas pipeline.