KOCHARIAN VISITS NATURAL GAS OPERATOR OFFICE

Armenpress
Apr 05 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS: President Robert Kocharian visited today
the central office of the Russian-Armenian joint venture-Hayrusgazard-
that ships Russian natural gas to Armenia.

Kocharian’s press office said the president discussed a scope of
related issues with the company’s leadership. Kocharian said the goal
of his visit was to learn what the company t did last year and what
was going to do this year. A detailed summary was provided by Karen
Karapetian, the chief manager of the company, who said last year
Armenia received almost 1.7 billion cubic meters of Russian gas,
a 24 percent rise over the previous year. The number of individual
and industrial gas consumers is now more than 360,000.

Karapetian said the process of restoration of gas networks continues
and some 100,000 new households and enterprises will get connected
to the gas pipeline this year. He also spoke about the ongoing
construction of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline and expansion of an
underground gas storage facility.

Kocharian said the government is eager to see the company as a
profitable entity with an effective management. He also said the
time showed that the decision to choose Russian Gazprom as a partner
was right. He said new joint projects will promote the company’s
strengthening.