Iran ready to pump gas to Armenia

The head of Iranian Gas Export Company says the country will be able to provide Armenia with the gas it needs during the coming winter.

“Iran will pump three million cubic meters of gas to Armenia during this winter,” said Reza Kasaei-Zadeh in an interview with ISNA news agency.

Armenia’s Minister of Energy, Armen Movsisyan, recently said that the capacity of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline project would increase to 2.5 billion cubic meters per year.

“The opening of the Iranian-Armenian pipeline will guarantee the energy safety of Armenia,” he said.

He added that this would become feasible by increasing the capacity of the Kadzharan-Yerevan section of the pipeline by November, 2008.

The Iran-Armenia gas pipeline project was officially opened on March 19, 2007 by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Armenian President Robert Kocharian. The project will provide Armenia with an alternative to the gas it now imports from Russia.

The two countries will share the $220 million cost of the 140 kilometer pipeline.

MVZ/JG/BGH