RUSSIAN GAS DELIVERIES TO ARMENIA CUT BY PIPELINE BREAK

RTT News
Jan 9 2009
NY

(RTTNews) – Russian gas deliveries to Armenia was disrupted Friday
following a pipeline break in southern Georgia.

Georgia’s energy minister Alexandre Khetaguri said gas transit to
Armenia was fully suspended after experiencing major gas leak from
the damaged pipeline this morning.

He said on television that the break in supply will continue at least
for five days to complete repair work. He requested Armenia to make
up for the gas shortage by depending on its gas reserves.

Russia’s state-owned gas giant Gazprom expressed concern over the
disruption in supplies and called for a quick normalization of the
situation. It offered help in making repairs.

"It is not clear to us what happened there and why emergency work
must take place during the height of winter," a Gazprom spokesman
was quoted as saying Friday.

Russia and Georgia cutoff diplomatic ties since the ex-Soviet republics
fought a war in August over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

A part of the damaged pipeline passes through South Ossetia. Georgia
receives 10 per cent of the gas pumped to Armenia via its pipeline
as transit fees.