Tweet
IRAN TOUTS ARMENIA'S 'UNIQUE POSITION' IN REGION
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24211345.html
31.05.2011
Iran -- President Mahmud Ahmadinejad meets Armenian Minister of Energy
and Natural Resources Armen Movsisian in Tehran, 31 May 2011
Iran was reported on Tuesday to underline what Foreign Minister
Ali-Akbar Salehi described as Armenia's "unique" location in the
region and reaffirm its strong interest in the quick implementation
of Armenian-Iranian infrastructure projects.
Salehi and Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian stressed the
need for much closer economic ties between the two neighboring states
co-chairing a regular session of an Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental
commission that ended in its work in Tehran late on Monday.
Reports from the Iranian capital said they signed a memorandum of
understanding to boost cooperation on oil, gas and electricity and
expand their commercial and industrial ties.
The meeting came met less than a week before Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad's official visit to Armenia. Preparations for the two-day
trip were apparently discussed by Salehi's deputy Mohammad-Reza
Sheibani in Yerevan earlier this month.
"Keeping in mind Armenia's unique position in the region -- which
can be connected to the Black Sea in the west on one hand and to
the Persian Gulf through Iran on the other hand -- can bring very
positive economic fruits both for our two countries and for the entire
region," the official IRNA news agency quoted Salehi as saying after
the commission meeting.
The chief Iranian diplomat called for a further rise in
Armenian-Iranian trade, which soared by 38 percent to $270 million last
year. He also said that the Islamic Republic can serve as a "reliable
source of energy" for its landlocked and resource-poor neighbor.
Iran's energy ties with Armenia are expected to deepen significantly
as a result of multimillion-dollar projects devised by the two
governments. Those include the construction of two hydro-electric
plants on the Arax river marking the Armenian-Iranian border and a
pipeline that will ship Iranian fuel to Armenia.
The two sides also plan to start building next month a third
high-voltage transmission line connecting their power grids, which
would allow for a sharp increase in Armenian electricity supplies to
Iran. Much of that electricity is to be generated by Iranian natural
gas shipped to Armenia.
According to IRNA, another Iranian official, Deputy Transport Minister
Reza Pilpayeh, reaffirmed Tehran's support for the ambitious idea of
building a 540-kilometer railway connecting Iran to Armenia. He said
Iranian companies are ready to carry out most of the construction
work estimated to cost $2.5 billion.
Movsisian reportedly described the project as "economically feasible."
He also indicated that Yerevan hopes the Iranian side will at least
partly finance its implementation.
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24211345.html
31.05.2011
Iran -- President Mahmud Ahmadinejad meets Armenian Minister of Energy
and Natural Resources Armen Movsisian in Tehran, 31 May 2011
Iran was reported on Tuesday to underline what Foreign Minister
Ali-Akbar Salehi described as Armenia's "unique" location in the
region and reaffirm its strong interest in the quick implementation
of Armenian-Iranian infrastructure projects.
Salehi and Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian stressed the
need for much closer economic ties between the two neighboring states
co-chairing a regular session of an Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental
commission that ended in its work in Tehran late on Monday.
Reports from the Iranian capital said they signed a memorandum of
understanding to boost cooperation on oil, gas and electricity and
expand their commercial and industrial ties.
The meeting came met less than a week before Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad's official visit to Armenia. Preparations for the two-day
trip were apparently discussed by Salehi's deputy Mohammad-Reza
Sheibani in Yerevan earlier this month.
"Keeping in mind Armenia's unique position in the region -- which
can be connected to the Black Sea in the west on one hand and to
the Persian Gulf through Iran on the other hand -- can bring very
positive economic fruits both for our two countries and for the entire
region," the official IRNA news agency quoted Salehi as saying after
the commission meeting.
The chief Iranian diplomat called for a further rise in
Armenian-Iranian trade, which soared by 38 percent to $270 million last
year. He also said that the Islamic Republic can serve as a "reliable
source of energy" for its landlocked and resource-poor neighbor.
Iran's energy ties with Armenia are expected to deepen significantly
as a result of multimillion-dollar projects devised by the two
governments. Those include the construction of two hydro-electric
plants on the Arax river marking the Armenian-Iranian border and a
pipeline that will ship Iranian fuel to Armenia.
The two sides also plan to start building next month a third
high-voltage transmission line connecting their power grids, which
would allow for a sharp increase in Armenian electricity supplies to
Iran. Much of that electricity is to be generated by Iranian natural
gas shipped to Armenia.
According to IRNA, another Iranian official, Deputy Transport Minister
Reza Pilpayeh, reaffirmed Tehran's support for the ambitious idea of
building a 540-kilometer railway connecting Iran to Armenia. He said
Iranian companies are ready to carry out most of the construction
work estimated to cost $2.5 billion.
Movsisian reportedly described the project as "economically feasible."
He also indicated that Yerevan hopes the Iranian side will at least
partly finance its implementation.