Iran to meet Armenian gas demands

TEHRAN, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Iranian energy officials proclaimed they would begin gas exports to Armenia immediately to meet demands for the coming winter.

Rasoul Salmani with the National Iranian Gas Export Co. said Iran would begin shipping gas north through the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline for the next 10 years, Iranian Press TV reported.

"Iran plans to annually export some (39 billion cubic feet) of gas to Armenia, and the amount will eventually be increased to (81 billion cubic feet) by 2019," Salmani said.

For his part, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said the deal would guarantee energy security for his country because of the increased pipeline capacity.

"The opening of the Iranian-Armenian pipeline will guarantee the energy safety of Armenia," he said. "Armenia will receive from 81 billion to 88 billion cubic meters of gas from Tehran through this pipeline a year."

Jose Lello, president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, warned Armenia in September it needed to take practical steps to open its borders to counter the high cost of energy and export prices.

Russian energy giant Gazprom in September said it would increase the price of gas exported to Armenia by 40 percent, citing territorial disputes with Azerbaijan.