ROBERT KOCHARIAN AND MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD OPENED THE IRAN-ARMENIA GAS-PIPELINE
Mediamax Agency, Armenia
March 19 2007
Yerevan, March 19 /Mediamax/. Today at 14:05 the Armenian and
Iranian President Robert Kocharian and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad opened the
Iran-Armenia gas-pipeline, special correspondent of Mediamax reports
from Meghri.
The ceremony should have started in the morning, however, because of
bad weather conditions, the helicopter did not manage to convey the
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Meghri in time.
The Leaders of the two countries are expected to speak during a news
conference soon.
The Armenian and Iranian Energy Ministers signed an intergovernmental
agreement today in Meghri on the joint construction and exploitation of
a Hydroelectric Power Station (HPS) on the Araks river. The signing of
the document took place after putting into operation the Iran-Armenia
gas-pipeline, in which the Presidents of Armenia and Iran Robert
Kocharian and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad participated.
Speaking at a news conference, Robert Kocharian stated that
the construction of a joint HPS "will open a new page in the
Armenian-Iranian relations".
He stressed that 15 years ago there was nothing in Meghri, evidencing
the Armenian-Iranian relations, and the two sides were separated by
a barbed wire.
"Today, there are many things here evidencing our growing relations.
By the bridge, on which I met the Iranian President today, 600
thousand tons of cargo was transported last year", the Armenian
President stated.
Robert Kocharian highlighted that the economic cooperation of Armenia
and Iran started touching upon large infrastructure projects.
The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated that he discussed with
Robert Kocharian the issues of cooperation in the sphere of energy,
transport, communication and water industry.