ARMENIA HAS CHANCE TO USE BAKU-TBILISI-ERZERUM GAS AND
BAKU-TBILISI-CEYHAN OIL PIPELINES IN ITS OWN INTERESTS

YEREVAN, JUNE 11. ARMINFO. Armenia has a chance to use the
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline in its own interests, says Director General of ArmRosgazprom
company Karen Karapetyan.

It would be desirable if the pipeline ran via Armenia but even the
very fact of their existence is already good. Georgia may give Armenia
part of its transit quota gas. Armenia may repay in electricity. It
depends on Armenia to what an extent it will be involved in these or
other projects, says Karapetyan reminding that Georgia has already
expressed interest in the Iran-Armenian gas pipeline project. Why can
we say that we want to take part in the construction of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline? wonders Karapetyan. Abundant in
electricity when completing the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline project and
restoring the Abovyan underground gas storage Armenia may become a
serious regional player.

We should turn negative geo-political situation into a positive one.
Armenia may become a good market for energy resource sale especially
that its neighbors may well face electricity shortage in the near
future. If we are aggressive and flexible enough we will get back what
we have lost, says Karapetyan. It is no coincidence that Georgia has
already begun talks for the construction of a new electricity
transmission line from Armenia, he notes.