MEETING OF IRAN-ARMENIA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT’S WORKING GROUP TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN IN LATE JANUARY
Noyan Tapan
Jan 13, 2010
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. Receiving on January 13 the Iranian
Ambassador to Armenia Seyed Ali Saghaeyan, RA Minister of Transport
and Communication Gurgen Sargsyan said that the joint implementation
of several projects in transport and communication sector will promote
economic development of the two countries.
At the ambassador’s request G. Sargsyan spoke in detail about the
construction projects of North-South Highway and the Iran-Armenia
railway. According to him, the Asian Development Bank announced its
decision to allocate a 0 million loan for the North-South Highway
project, about million of which will be provided this year. At the end
of 2009, a tender for design work of the first stage of the highway
construction was announced. The design packages have already been
submitted and are now being assessed, after which an international
tender to select a construction company will be held. During the first
stage, it is envisaged reconstructing Yerevan-Ashtarak interstate road
and doing some work on road safety on Yerevan-Ararat motorway. The
minister said that the whole feasibility study on the highway will
be conducted this year.
Speaking about construction of the Iran-Armenia railway, G. Sargsyan
said that a tender for the feasibility study on the project will be
held in January, and in all likelihood the winner will be announced
in April, after which work will start. The Asian Development Bank
has provided a million grant for conducting a feasibility study on
the Iran-Armenia railway project.
The Iranian ambassador said that Iranian organizations are also
interested in road construction in Armenia, including the construction
of North-South Highway. He did not rule out that Iranian banks will
also be involved in financing some sections of the highway.
The RA Ministry of Transport and Communication reported that at the
conclusion of the meeting the sides reached a preliminary agreement
to hold a meeting of the Iran-Armenia railway construction project’s
working group in Yerevan in late January.