ARMENIA HAS PROSPECT OF BECOMING TRANSIT COUNTRY FOR IRANIAN GAS
Noyan Tapan
Mar 29 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The “Noravank” scientific-educational
fund organized a round table on the theme “Iranian Gas between East
and West: Prospects for Armenia” on March 28. RA NA Deputies Vazgen
Manukian, Tatul Manaserian, Armen Ashotian, specialists of the RA
Foreign Ministry and National Academy of Sciences as well as experts
and analysts representing different organizations participated in the
discussion. As Sevak Saroukhanian, the Deputy Executive Director of the
“Noravank” scientific-educational fund, the main spekaer mentioned
in his speech, Armenia has some perspectives to become a transit
country on the way of exporting Iranian gas to countries of the
European Union. According to him, the EU, member countries of which
has a great dependence today from the Russian gas, is interested in
import of Iranian gas. It was also mentioned that volumes of export
of Iranian gas occupying the second place in the world after Russia
by its reserves of natural gas are very small at present. According
to the speaker, possible export of gas to Pakistan and India is
less profitable for Iran, and this program is more used by Iran
as a political trump. Considering export of gas to Europe through
the territory of Turkey indesirable, Iran, in Sevak Saroukhanian’s
opinion, may prefer Armenia with which it has good relations. In the
case of construction of a gas pipe of 50 bln cubic metre capability
annually, Armenia may expect profit of 160 mln dollars annually. But
some participants of the round table considered such a perspective for
Armenia less probable. According to expert Igor Muradian, the issue of
gas export is more political than economic, and it’ll be difficult for
Iran to combine its economic and political interests. In the opinion
of Spartak Seyranian, the editor-in-chief of the “Yerkir” weekly, Iran
will prefer to export gas to East, to increase its influence in that
region. According to Vigen Hakobian, a representative of the “Regnum”
agency, Russia will never agree that Armenia becomes a transit country.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
