Armenian Government prepares for Turkmen Delegation visit

ArmInfo. Armenian Prime Minister  Karen Karapetyan instructed the government, especially the Minister  of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Ashot Manukyan to  generalize the information and prepare for the Turkmen Delegation  arrival in best way. This was stated during the governmental meeting  in April 6. 

According to him, the Delegation will arrive during the second half  of April and intends to have a serious work. "I receive signals that  they are working on this very seriously", stated the Premier.

To note, during the meeting of 27-28 March in Turkmenistan,  Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Karen Karapetyan discussed wide aspects  of the issues of bilateral partnership. It was noted that the stable  basis for international relations is creation of contract-legal base,  for development and practical usage.  The sides agreed to continue  the discussions in April in Yerevan on the level of work groups.

Before the Armenian Delegations visit in Ashgabad, it was informed  that Armenia intended to discuss with Turkmenistan the prospective  cooperation projects, which were discussed during the 8th  Armenian-Turkmen intergovernmental  commission meeting on March 14 in  Yerevan. Earlier Ashgabat has  already offered Tehran to increase the  current gas swap volume for  Armenia and Azerbaijan to 15million  cubic meter per day. According to Prime-Minister swap gas supplies to  Armenia were discussed with the Ambassadors of Iran and Turkmenistan   on the first working day of 2017. 

Today, the only way to supply natural gas to Armenia from Russia is  the territory of Georgia. And this non- alternative way is  permanently becoming the subject of discussions in the context of the  development of relations between Moscow and Tbilisi.

Armenia tends to regulate swap deliveries of  Turkmen gas via Iran  territory. It is about the gas supplies from  Iran on one side, which  , in its  turn , will import the same volumes  from Armenia on other  sides. 

At the same time, it seems that it is the swap that can save Armenia  from the eternal disagreements between Moscow and Tbilisi, as well as  from the excessive appetites of Gazprom top managers.

To note, according to the National Statistical Service of Armenia,  the external trade turnover between Armenia and Turkmenistan in 2016  was $ 12 million with an annual decline by 32.8%. At the same time,  exports amounted to $ 5.8 million with an annual decline by 66.9%,  imports - $ 6.2 million, with an annual decline by 18.6%.