A top Iranian diplomat said on Thursday, July 9, that Teheran needs to find a third partner before it can launch the construction of a natural gas pipeline to Armenia.
The announcement is a blow for Armenia, which hopes that the proposed 140-kilometer (48-mile) line will solve its persistent energy shortages.
Armenia had earlier announced that construction on the $140 million project would begin by the end of the year. However Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Akhani said on a Thursday visit to Moscow that "it would be welcome if a third state became interested in this project."
In that case Iran and Armenia "would take more decisive action in the near future, which would lead directly to the start of construction of the gas pipeline," Interfax quoted Akhani as saying.
Iran has the world's second-largest reserves of natural gas after Russia. Several potential companies, including Russia's gas giant Gazprom and France's Gaz de France, had been mentioned as potential partners for the project, although no concrete deal has yet been signed.
Urging others to join, Akhani said the project was "competitive and economically justified."— (AFP)
© Agence France Presse
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
