WHY IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE WAS CONSTRUCTED: BAGRATYAN

news.am
Jan 18 2010
Armenia

"Why did we construct Iran-Armenia gas pipeline if it should not
operate," RA former Premier Hrant Bagratyan said at Jan.

18 interview referring to Russian gas price rise (U.S. $180 per 1000
m3) starting April 2010.

"It was an alternative to be used if Russian gas price rises. What
happened with it? What was the purpose of that main? Receiving gas
from Iran, we do not pay transit charge. If you think that Iranian
gas is expensive I would parry that they could have made the pipe
wider and supply gas to Georgia and other states," Bagratyan outlined
adding that today’s developments become politics after ten years.

Former Premier also underlined that Serzh Sargsyan’s statement that
Armenia is solvent is true. "He does not tell a lie, he was just told
so. He is unaware that starting 2014 Armenia will have to pay a U.S.

$480m foreign debt annually unless it accumulates more debts by then."

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stated earlier that Armenia will
incur a U.S. $500m loan in 2010.