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Armenian foreign minister does not rule out selling Iran-Armenia pipeline to Russia
Regnum, Russia
April 20 2006
"Nothing can be ruled out," Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
has said answering a question about possibility of selling the
Iran-Armenia pipeline, which is now under construction, to Russia,
reports a REGNUM correspondent. Nevertheless, the Armenian foreign
minister failed to provide an exact answer. "It is hard to say,
whether it will be sold or not. Actually, there is no such pipeline,
as it is being constructed yet. There are talks held. It goes about
who will invest in it and who will construct it. Most probably,
the one who gives money will be the owner."
Earlier, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan announced that
"the Iran-Armenia pipeline has not been constructed and is not a
subject of economic activity yet, therefore, is not a joint-stock
company and has issued no stock, so, it cannot be sold." Meanwhile,
Member of the Armenian National Assembly, ex-Prime Minister Vazgen
Manukyan earlier expressed his confidence that a 45-kilometer section
of the pipeline is already sold, "despite the fact that the Armenian
authorities assure that the pipeline was not sold to Russia."
It is worth mentioning, on April 6, Gazprom within several hours
corrected a report released by its press department on signing an
agreement with Armenia for 25 years. From the new version of the
press release published on Gazprom's official site statements on the
Iran-Armenia pipeline were excluded. The previous variant included
information that the agreement envisages acquiring by ArmRosgazprom
of a 40-kilometer section under construction of the Iran-Armenia
pipeline and the fifth energy unit of Hrazdan Nuclear Power Plant,
as well as giving functions of building owner of the second section
of the pipeline 197 km long to ArmRosgazprom. The new variant of the
document reports only about acquiring the fifth energy unit of the
Hrazdan NPP and gas facilities.
Regnum, Russia
April 20 2006
"Nothing can be ruled out," Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
has said answering a question about possibility of selling the
Iran-Armenia pipeline, which is now under construction, to Russia,
reports a REGNUM correspondent. Nevertheless, the Armenian foreign
minister failed to provide an exact answer. "It is hard to say,
whether it will be sold or not. Actually, there is no such pipeline,
as it is being constructed yet. There are talks held. It goes about
who will invest in it and who will construct it. Most probably,
the one who gives money will be the owner."
Earlier, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan announced that
"the Iran-Armenia pipeline has not been constructed and is not a
subject of economic activity yet, therefore, is not a joint-stock
company and has issued no stock, so, it cannot be sold." Meanwhile,
Member of the Armenian National Assembly, ex-Prime Minister Vazgen
Manukyan earlier expressed his confidence that a 45-kilometer section
of the pipeline is already sold, "despite the fact that the Armenian
authorities assure that the pipeline was not sold to Russia."
It is worth mentioning, on April 6, Gazprom within several hours
corrected a report released by its press department on signing an
agreement with Armenia for 25 years. From the new version of the
press release published on Gazprom's official site statements on the
Iran-Armenia pipeline were excluded. The previous variant included
information that the agreement envisages acquiring by ArmRosgazprom
of a 40-kilometer section under construction of the Iran-Armenia
pipeline and the fifth energy unit of Hrazdan Nuclear Power Plant,
as well as giving functions of building owner of the second section
of the pipeline 197 km long to ArmRosgazprom. The new variant of the
document reports only about acquiring the fifth energy unit of the
Hrazdan NPP and gas facilities.