ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
July 27, 2005 Wednesday 12:12 PM Eastern Time

Iran, Ukraine sign gas supplies protocol

By Konstantin Kazeyev

TEHRAN, July 27

Iran and Ukraine reached an accord on natural gas supplies. The
relevant protocol was signed in the course of the visit to Tehran by
a delegation of the Ukrainian Ministry of Fuel and Energy, the local
media reported on Wednesday.

The document envisions a supply to Ukraine of 30 billion cubic meters
of natural gas a year. In addition, the countries agreed on a transit
of another 20 billion cubic meters of Iranian gas through Ukraine to
Europe.

“Given Iran’s current problems with gas supplies to Europe through
Turkey, the Ukrainian alternative opens a new perspective for our
export opportunities,” Iran’s Deputy Minister of Petroleum Mohammad
Hadi Nejad told reporters.

Iran and Ukraine decided to invite Russia, Georgia and Armenia to
take part in a pipeline construction project. These countries are
aligned along the route of the future gas pipeline.