HAYRUSGAZARD EYES IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE

00:00, 27 October, 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS:The chief manager of the Russian-Armenian joint venture that delivers Russian natural gas to Armenia via Georgia, said yesterday the company asked the government to let it take the management of a second gas pipeline that stretches from Iran to Armenia. Karen Karapetian, the chief manager of HayRusGazArd company, said the Iran- Armenia gas pipeline will have to be connected to HayRusGazArd network. Karapetian denied media allegations that the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline will be handed to a Russian company. He said the question is whether Iran- Armenia pipeline will be an independent company or will be given to HayRusGazArd. He said handing the Iran-Armenia pipeline to HayRusGazArd was logical. Forty-five percent of shares in HayRusGazArd are owned by Russian Gazprom, 10 percent are owned by another Russian-owned group ITERA and the remaining 45 percent belong to the Armenian government.