KOCHARIAN AND NIYAZOV WILL DISCUSS POSSIBLE RESTORATION OF TURKMEN NATURAL GAS SUPPLY TO ARMENIA

28.11.2000, MEDIAMAX, YEREVAN. Tomorrow, on November 29 the President of Armenia starts his one-day official visit to Turkmenistan.
Armenia’s Ambassador to Turkmenistan Aram Grigorian told AFP that Armenian President Robert Kocharian is to hold talks with his Turkmen counterpart on the possible restoration of natural gas supplies to Armenia. “If the Turkmen side offers a profitable variant then this issue will be discussed. We don’t exclude that new decisions will be taken,” said Grigorian.
Armenia received two billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas a year from 1992 to 1997, but supplies were halted that year when Uzbekistan demanded higher tariffs for the transportation of the gas across its territory.
Kocharian is also expected to discuss with Niyazov the extension from 2001 until 2004 of Armenia’s gas debt payments to the Central Asian state, AFP reports. The debt amounts to some 12.5 million dollars for gas supplies from 1992 to 1997, Grigorian said. –0–