Gulf Daily News, Bahrain
Jan 28 2007
Russia plans refinery for Iranian oil
MOSCOW: The oil division of Russian energy giant Gazprom is planning
to build a refinery in Armenia to process oil coming from
neighbouring Iran, a Russian newspaper said yesterday.
The plan would involve pumping oil into Armenia from the Tabriz
region of northern Iran along a 200km pipeline, then transporting the
refined oil products back into Iran by rail, the Kommersant daily
said.
"We are looking into building a refinery in Armenia, but we cannot
give details for the moment," Natalya Vyalkina, a spokeswoman for
state-controlled Gazprom Neft, said.
Kommersant quoted analysts as saying that the project would be
"essentially political" since the high transport costs involved would
bring little economic profit.
Russia has close economic ties with Iran and is building a nuclear
power station in southern Iran. Moscow long resisted the imposition
of UN sanctions over Iran’s nuclear programme.