President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Armenian counterpart, Robert Kocharyan, officially inaugurated a newly constructed pipeline that will transfer Iranian natural gas to Armenia.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan on Monday inaugurated a gas pipeline intended to ensure Armenia's energy security. The ceremony took place in the Armenian settlement of Agarak on the border between the two countries.
Robert Kocharyan underlined that he regards completion of the gas pipeline project as the new proof of friendship between Tehran and Yerevan. The two presidents signed a protocol on broadening cooperation and reaffirmed their intention to broaden bilateral contacts.
It has been reported that bad weather marred the ceremony Monday.
It has been heavily raining on the border between Iran and Armenia, and air temperatures have dropped below zero point.
The gas pipeline, 141 kilometers long (including 40 kilometers on the Armenian territory) has connected gas transportation systems of the two countries. The gas pipeline runs from Iranian Tabriz to the border with Armenia and further on from the Armenian settlement of Megri to Kadzharan.
The pipeline has a total length of 140 kilometers, 100 kilometers of which is in Iranian territory and 40 kilometers in Armenian territory. It will transfer 10 million cubic meters of Iranian natural gas to Armenia per day in its initial phase.
Test operations on the project have been conducted. The project will be ready for delivery to Armenia within the next few months. The pipeline has an approximate cost of USD 120 million, 85 percent of which was financed by the Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) and the remaining 15 percent put up by Yerevan.
The pipeline was due to be completed in 930 days but construction was fast-tracked due to its importance and the pipeline completed in 650 days.
Inauguration of the pipeline will allow transfer of 400 million cubic meters of Iranian gas to Armenia per year during the first phase of the project, this figure later to be increased to 2.5 billion cubic meters per year. The Armenian president had high praises for Iranian engineers and workers who made this pipeline a reality.
