YEREVAN, Armenia, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline will remain in state hands for now.
The comments, made to the Arminfo news agency Wednesday, follow media reports that the pipeline had been handed over to the HayRusGazArd Co., which is the operator of the construction of the main gas pipeline.
HayRusGazArd is a joint Russian-Armenian company, 45 percent of which is owned by the government and 45 percent by Russia’s Gazprom. Another 10 percent is owned by Itera. Earlier this week Gazprom subsidiary ArmRosgazprom said it bought the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.
Movsisyan had earlier said that talks on a 40-kilometer section of the pipeline were ongoing, noting it was too early to tell who owned the section. The section is now owned by state-owned High Voltage Power.