Armenia-Iran gas pipeline must not harm environment – ministry says

Arminfo
23 Mar 07

Yerevan, 23 March: The project of the construction of the 49km-long
Kajaran-Sisian section of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline was rejected
today by the Armenian commission on ecological examination headed by
Environmental Protection Minister Vardan Ayvazyan.

Ayavzyan said during the sitting of the commission that he could not
give a positive conclusion [concerning the project] although he
realized the importance of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
construction. The matter is that around 8-9km of the section goes
through forests which means that trees would presumably be cut
down. The minister said that ecologists would not give their consent
[to the project] until an agreement is signed between the Armles
[Armenian forest] joint-stock company and the HayRusgazard
[Armenian-Russian gas] joint-stock company.

The assistant director of HayRusgazard, Gagik Margaryan, said that the
company had sent a draft agreement to the Agriculture Ministry a month
ago but had not received a reply yet. The Armles is a unit within the
Agriculture Ministry. Damage caused to the environment is being
estimated, will be included in the company’s expenditure on the
project and compensation will be made, he said. The diameter of the
Kajaran-Sisian pipeline is 700 mm. The pipeline should be constructed
by August-September 2008 and be connected to the Meghri-Kajaran
pipeline, Margaryan said.

The Meghri-Kajaran section was inaugurated by the Armenian and Iranian
presidents on 19 March 2006.