Gazprom Deputy Chairman - Russia Will Control Armenian Link In Iran-Russia Pipeline

[hatrack]

Armenia’s Russian-controlled national gas distribution company has become the owner of the entire Armenian section of an under-construction natural gas pipeline from Iran, it was officially confirmed on Wednesday. The ArmRosGazprom (ARG) operator has been widely expected to control the pipeline ever since the emergence late last year of new details of a controversial March 2006 agreement that allowed Armenia to avoid a surge in the price of Russian gas until January 2009.

The Armenian government said initially that it will only give Russia’s Gazprom gas conglomerate an incomplete but modern thermal power plant, located in the central town of Hrazdan, in return. The Russians pledged to invest $140 million in completing the facility by the end of 2008.

Officials in Yerevan and Moscow announced later in 2006 that as part of the complex deal, Gazprom has also had its share in ARG increased from 45 percent to almost 58 percent. Furthermore, they pointedly declined to refute reports that the Iran-Armenia pipeline will become the property of ARG. Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian spoke out in favor of that early this year, but said his government has not yet decided on the pipeline’s ownership.

The Russian Regnum news agency quoted Valeri Golubev, deputy chairman of Gazprom, as saying in Yerevan on Wednesday that its takeover by ARG has already been formalized. Golubev did not specify how much the gas operator paid for the pipeline, saying only that it used proceeds from the issuance and sale of additional shares in ARG. All of those shares were bought by Gazprom, he said.

EDIT

http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2007/09/36763A5D-5E36-44FB-940C-EFCC1CEB99EF.ASP

"Armenia Liberty"? I know nothing about this organization - anybody who does?