Russia not to use energy facilities to pressurize Armenia – minister

Arminfo
20 Apr 06

Yerevan, 20 April: “Diversification depends not so much on who owns
energy facilities but on how much these energy facilities and their
energy supplies have been diversified,” Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan said at a joint press conference with Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs of Austria Hans Winkler in Yerevan today
when asked about the handover of the fifth unit of the Razdan thermal
power plant to Russia.

“I believe that these should be diversified but not the owners or
managers of the facilities. The facilities are located in Armenia,
and even if they have been privatized or handed over for long-term
management, this has been done on clear-cut conditions,” the Armenian
foreign minister said, adding that these conditions could not run
counter to Armenia’s energy demands.

Asked about whether he ruled out the handover of the Iran-Armenia
gas pipeline to Russia, the minister admitted that he did not know
the answer. “Talks are under way in this connection,” Oskanyan said.

Meanwhile, the minister noted that there was no pipeline yet and that
at issue was not the handover of the pipeline but who would build it
or fund its construction. The minister said that he did not hold the
talks and therefore did not know the details.

“But if you ask whether I rule out the possibility of handing over
the pipeline to Russia, I would answer that nothing can be ruled out.

On the other hand, one should not make hasty conclusions without
knowing the details,” Oskanyan said.

He did not agree that the concentration of Armenia’s energy facilities
mainly in Russia’s hands could be used as a lever to pressurize
Armenia, especially in the Karabakh settlement. “This issue should
not be linked to the Karabakh problem,” Oskanyan said.

He said this problem should be viewed “through the prism of a mixture
of what is desired and what is possible”. The minister said that of
course, diversification would have been desirable so that part of the
energy facilities were in the hands of Armenians, part in the hands
of Russians and perhaps part in the hands of Europeans.

“But it has happened so that there is indeed a slight tilt towards
Russia,” the minister said. He pointed out that one should not
worry as long as agreements were observed. “I am sure that there are
provisions in these agreements ensuring the republic’s energy security
and diversification,” the Armenian foreign minister said.