ARMENIA HOPES THERE’LL BE NO MILITARY OPERATION AGAINST IRAN
ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 25, 2007 Tuesday 7:16 PM EST
Armenia’s Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian has expressed the hope there
will be no military operation against Iran.
"I do hope that the question of a military operation against Iran has
not been decided yet," Sarkisian told a news conference at Itar-Tass
on Tuesday. "For Armenia it would be very undesirable, if it happens
otherwise. Iran is Armenia’s important partner, with whom we have a
very good relationship. It is one of the links with the outside world."
Armenia has had no railway traffic with other countries and regions
ever since the beginning of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict.
"My country is determined to go ahead with a policy of advancing and
expanding relations with Iran," the Armenian deputy prime minister
said. "The gas pipeline linking our countries enhances by far Armenia’s
security. Our actions today are well-founded and geared to serve the
interests of the Armenian people."
The 141-kilometer-long 700-millimeter-wide pipeline (40 kilometers of
it are in Armenia) linked the pipeline systems of Armenia and Iran
last March. Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Armenian
counterpart Robert Kocharian attended the inauguration ceremony.
The pipeline connects the Iranian city of Tabriz and the miners’
town of Kadzharan.
President Kocharian then said that he regarded the completion of that
project as "fresh evidence of friendship" between Teheran and Yerevan.
Under the "fuel-for-kilowatts" swap deal Iran will supply 36 billion
cubic meters of natural gas to Armenia for a period of 30 years to
get electricity in exchange.