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%.