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Iranian Ambassador to Armenia: The North-South railway will allow Iran
to become one of the largest countries in the field of cargo
transportation
ArmInfo's Interview with Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad Reisi
by Marianna Lazarian
ARMINFO
Friday, November 30, 20:58
Mr.Reisi, do you think Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak
Ayin's recent statement that the OSCE Minsk Group is biased in the
Karabakh peace process and therefore it is the countries of the region
that should take part in the peace process demonstrates that Iran
seeks to play a mediator's role in the Karabakh peace process?
Iran's foreign policy with respect to the Karabakh conflict has
undergone no changes. Tehran has always stressed the need to resolve
the conflict by means of a dialogue and only in the peaceful way. Iran
supports all the efforts aimed at resolution of the conflict. But Iran
also thinks that the countries of the region are able to settle their
own problems by cooperating with one another and admits the presence
of no foreign forces in this region. Iran's foreign policy with
respect to the Karabakh conflict is based on the specified approaches.
Due to the sanctions introduced this year against Iran by the USA and
European countries, the Iranian oil exports have changed their
direction from Europe towards China and South Korea. Do you think this
will help stop the inflation in Iran and what impact will further
toughening of the sanctions against Iran have on the region and on
Armenia, in particular?
The daily information flow convinces us that the inflation and
economic crisis have developed into a global phenomenon and become a
kind of epidemic. The impact of the economic crisis is felt everywhere
- from Europe to Asia, from Africa to America. The `99 Percent
Movement', Wall Street crisis, protest actions in Greece, Spain and
other countries clearly demonstrate that people demand changing the
current situation. Thus, inflation and economic problems are not
typical to only one country. As regards the sanctions against Iran,
this is a part of the economic war against the Islamic republic, which
will have a bad effect on the West as well. But luckily, thanks to the
Iranian people's efforts and the Government's measures, the given
sanctions have not affected our relations with the region and with
Armenia, in particular.
The change of power in Georgia opens new prospects for implementation
of the North-South project given the Ivanishvili Government's
intention to contribute to the opening of through communication via
Abkhazia. Does the Iran-Armenia railway construction project acquire
extra prospects for implementation given that in this case Iran will
have a direct access to the vast Russian market via friendly Armenia
and Georgia?
As you know, it is possible to transport cargoes from Kazakhstan to
Europe and from Iran to the Persian Gulf by the North-South railway.
Actually, it is a friendly bridge between Asia and Europe that will
play a serious role in development of transport infrastructure and
transit of commodities among the countries of the region. Due to the
launch of this branch line, Iran will become one of the largest
countries in the region in the field of cargo transportation, and it
will be a big step towards implementation of the `Iran. Regional Hub'
slogan. On the other hand, the Iran-Armenia railway branch line is a
very important economic project being discussed by the two countries.
I hope serious measures will shortly be taken to implement this
project. It plays an essential role in increasing of the cargo
transportation and passenger operations between the two countries.
Moreover, its significance will grow even higher and will further
cover Georgia and Russia, making the big markets of the Persian Gulf
countries, Russia and Europe more accessible.
Recently, in order to improve the situation in its energy sector, Iran
announced a plan to build a gas pipeline to Syria via Iraq. Does this
mean that you are going to control the situation in Syria for as long
as possible?
Iran has the world's second biggest gas resources after Russia. The
efforts to develop infrastructure, to carry out the South Pars project
and to increase gas production have given us 10% of the world gas
output. This pipeline will have branches that will pump gas to Iraq,
Syria and Europe. More specifically, it will supply gas to thermal
power plants in Iraq and Syria, through Southern Lebanon to the
Mediterranean and farther to Europe. This is a big project and it is
part of the program of the National Iranian Gas Company.
It seems that the Trans Anadolu gas pipeline (TANAP) has forced Europe
and Turkey to forget about Nabucco. Can Iran, who is seeking to
reorient its energy exports, make use of this opportunity?
The development of the region and the growth in its energy demand are
forcing the local countries to consider new ways to transfer energy
resources. The Trans-Caspian has pipeline is one of them. But there
are still problems concerning the status of the Caspian Sea and
environmental security. This project is supposed to arrange direct
supplies of Turkmen gas to Europe. In the future gas will become a
higher priority than oil, so, even if there is no political tensions
between Russia and Europe, Russia and other producers will not be able
to supply enough gas for meeting Europe's needs. Here they will need
Iran with its world's second biggest gas reserves. If the existing
problems, including the legal status of the Caspian Sea and
environmental issues, are solved, the Trans-Caspian pipeline may
become one of the key channels for the export of Iranian gas to
Europe.
Iran has stopped to export as many as 52 items to Armenia, and now our
Government is negotiating with your authorities for quickly solving
this problem. What was the cause of the ban and what is the Iranian
Embassy doing in this respect?
In order to manage the export, to satisfy the domestic demand and to
fulfill the decision of the Commerce Ministry's Domestic Commerce
Department, our Government has banned the export of some commodities,
including articles produced in Iran and some medical equipment
imported for foreign exchange. This decision concerns all rather than
one specific country. Of course, we are making efforts to form expert
groups for discussing the consequences of this decision and finding
solutions to possible problems. The key goal of this policy is to
ensure domestic demand, so, once this problem is solved, the excess
will be exported.
By Marianna Lazarian
From: Baghdasarian
to become one of the largest countries in the field of cargo
transportation
ArmInfo's Interview with Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad Reisi
by Marianna Lazarian
ARMINFO
Friday, November 30, 20:58
Mr.Reisi, do you think Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak
Ayin's recent statement that the OSCE Minsk Group is biased in the
Karabakh peace process and therefore it is the countries of the region
that should take part in the peace process demonstrates that Iran
seeks to play a mediator's role in the Karabakh peace process?
Iran's foreign policy with respect to the Karabakh conflict has
undergone no changes. Tehran has always stressed the need to resolve
the conflict by means of a dialogue and only in the peaceful way. Iran
supports all the efforts aimed at resolution of the conflict. But Iran
also thinks that the countries of the region are able to settle their
own problems by cooperating with one another and admits the presence
of no foreign forces in this region. Iran's foreign policy with
respect to the Karabakh conflict is based on the specified approaches.
Due to the sanctions introduced this year against Iran by the USA and
European countries, the Iranian oil exports have changed their
direction from Europe towards China and South Korea. Do you think this
will help stop the inflation in Iran and what impact will further
toughening of the sanctions against Iran have on the region and on
Armenia, in particular?
The daily information flow convinces us that the inflation and
economic crisis have developed into a global phenomenon and become a
kind of epidemic. The impact of the economic crisis is felt everywhere
- from Europe to Asia, from Africa to America. The `99 Percent
Movement', Wall Street crisis, protest actions in Greece, Spain and
other countries clearly demonstrate that people demand changing the
current situation. Thus, inflation and economic problems are not
typical to only one country. As regards the sanctions against Iran,
this is a part of the economic war against the Islamic republic, which
will have a bad effect on the West as well. But luckily, thanks to the
Iranian people's efforts and the Government's measures, the given
sanctions have not affected our relations with the region and with
Armenia, in particular.
The change of power in Georgia opens new prospects for implementation
of the North-South project given the Ivanishvili Government's
intention to contribute to the opening of through communication via
Abkhazia. Does the Iran-Armenia railway construction project acquire
extra prospects for implementation given that in this case Iran will
have a direct access to the vast Russian market via friendly Armenia
and Georgia?
As you know, it is possible to transport cargoes from Kazakhstan to
Europe and from Iran to the Persian Gulf by the North-South railway.
Actually, it is a friendly bridge between Asia and Europe that will
play a serious role in development of transport infrastructure and
transit of commodities among the countries of the region. Due to the
launch of this branch line, Iran will become one of the largest
countries in the region in the field of cargo transportation, and it
will be a big step towards implementation of the `Iran. Regional Hub'
slogan. On the other hand, the Iran-Armenia railway branch line is a
very important economic project being discussed by the two countries.
I hope serious measures will shortly be taken to implement this
project. It plays an essential role in increasing of the cargo
transportation and passenger operations between the two countries.
Moreover, its significance will grow even higher and will further
cover Georgia and Russia, making the big markets of the Persian Gulf
countries, Russia and Europe more accessible.
Recently, in order to improve the situation in its energy sector, Iran
announced a plan to build a gas pipeline to Syria via Iraq. Does this
mean that you are going to control the situation in Syria for as long
as possible?
Iran has the world's second biggest gas resources after Russia. The
efforts to develop infrastructure, to carry out the South Pars project
and to increase gas production have given us 10% of the world gas
output. This pipeline will have branches that will pump gas to Iraq,
Syria and Europe. More specifically, it will supply gas to thermal
power plants in Iraq and Syria, through Southern Lebanon to the
Mediterranean and farther to Europe. This is a big project and it is
part of the program of the National Iranian Gas Company.
It seems that the Trans Anadolu gas pipeline (TANAP) has forced Europe
and Turkey to forget about Nabucco. Can Iran, who is seeking to
reorient its energy exports, make use of this opportunity?
The development of the region and the growth in its energy demand are
forcing the local countries to consider new ways to transfer energy
resources. The Trans-Caspian has pipeline is one of them. But there
are still problems concerning the status of the Caspian Sea and
environmental security. This project is supposed to arrange direct
supplies of Turkmen gas to Europe. In the future gas will become a
higher priority than oil, so, even if there is no political tensions
between Russia and Europe, Russia and other producers will not be able
to supply enough gas for meeting Europe's needs. Here they will need
Iran with its world's second biggest gas reserves. If the existing
problems, including the legal status of the Caspian Sea and
environmental issues, are solved, the Trans-Caspian pipeline may
become one of the key channels for the export of Iranian gas to
Europe.
Iran has stopped to export as many as 52 items to Armenia, and now our
Government is negotiating with your authorities for quickly solving
this problem. What was the cause of the ban and what is the Iranian
Embassy doing in this respect?
In order to manage the export, to satisfy the domestic demand and to
fulfill the decision of the Commerce Ministry's Domestic Commerce
Department, our Government has banned the export of some commodities,
including articles produced in Iran and some medical equipment
imported for foreign exchange. This decision concerns all rather than
one specific country. Of course, we are making efforts to form expert
groups for discussing the consequences of this decision and finding
solutions to possible problems. The key goal of this policy is to
ensure domestic demand, so, once this problem is solved, the excess
will be exported.
By Marianna Lazarian
From: Baghdasarian