Posted on 09/21/2007 6:30:46 PM PDT by familyop
TEHRAN (PIN) -- The managing director of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said the country would export gas to Armenia whenever Yerevan voiced its readiness.
Seyyed Reza Kassaeizadeh told PIN pipelines and facilities for transmission of gas to Armenia had been installed in Iran and some three million cubic meters of commodity would be exported to Armenia per day.
“There is no problem concerning the transfer of gas to Armenia,” said the official, reiterating that the country was waiting for the Armenian party’s preparedness.
The National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC) managing director had already announced Iran would launch its gas exports to Armenia by September 22. Nosratollah Seifi added, “According to the latest negotiations with Armenia, Iran has completed pipe-laying operations and Armenia is ready to import gas.”
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian opened the pipeline’s first section at a ceremony near the border.
Under the first stage of the project, Iran will annually export some 400 million cubic meters of gas, which will be increased up to 3.2 billion cubic meters when the 141-kilometer link is completed.
The 100-kilometer Iranian section runs from Tabriz to Iran-Armenia border. The Armenian section runs from Meghri region to Sardarian.
According to preliminary estimates, about 90-100 million dollars was allocated for construction works in Armenia and Iran earmarked about 120 million dollars for construction activities on its territory.
Pointing to electricity export, he said that the side’s plan is to increase its capacity for importing power from Iran.
Referring to exports of five million tons of Iran’s LNG to India, he announced that the contract was signed two years ago and now the Economic Council does not agree with the price, hence, it should revise the case
------------ Trade tariffs
In the meantime, head of Iran-Armenia Joint Chamber of Commerce announced that the sides’ trade tariffs would decrease to help grow bilateral economic cooperation.
Levon Aharonian told MNA that the tariffs of some products would slump to zero.
Despite the sides’ high economic potentials, the trade volume valued at about 200 million dollars is not desirable and has to reach one billion dollars per annum.
He referred to construction of Aras 170MW hydroelectric power plant, establishment of railway linking the two states, and transmission of power to Armenia and Georgia, predicting a rising trade volume for the countries.
The sides made the decisions in the seventh session of the Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Cooperation Commission in Yerevan.
The commission was chaired by Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki and Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan.
The commission discussed cooperation in the areas of trade, energy, health, transportation, science, and culture.
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