SERZH SARGSYAN ASSURES THAT JOINT PROGRAMS ENVISAGED WITH IRAN WILL BE IMPLEMENTED

ARKA
Apr 10, 2009

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Against the world financial-economic
crisis challenges, joint programs envisaged with Iran will be
implemented, RA President Serzh Sargsyan stated at the April 10 press
conference dedicated to the one year of his tenure. Nearly 60 questions
by Yerevan, regional, and foreign media representatives were asked
at the press conference lasting more than two hours and a half.

S. Sargsyan assured that the construction of the Iran-Armenia railway
will start if not in the current, then next year. He is also hopeful
that implementation of another large program will also start this year,
construction of an Iran-Armenia pipeline for importing petrol and
diesel fuel from IRI. Construction of a mighty hydro-electric power
plant will also start, which will be the mightiest one in the region.

S. Sargsyan also said that the goal of his coming visit to Iran
is to continue Armenian-Iranian political dialogue, to put forward
new programs.

The President plans to discuss development programs at his meetings
with the IRI leadership.

Touching upon the problems of Syunik bordering upon Iran, S. Sargsyan
said that the unemployment level in the region is higher than the
average index in Armenia. However, in his words, its reason is not
that there are few industrial enterprises in Syunik, but the fact
that the number of town population is big in the region. He expressed
confidence that Syunik’s leading enterprises, first of all mining
enterprises, not only will continue working, but will also implement
development programs. In particular, 16m tons of ore will be processed
in Kajaran concentrating mill in late 2009, which exceeds Soviet years’
indices two-fold.