Armenia Denies Plans to Swap Russian Gas for Iranian Imports
Armenia has denied reports that it is seeking to swap Russian gas for Iranian imports. The country's Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, Davit Khudatyan, said that Armenia is looking to increase its natural gas imports from Iran but not as an alternative to Russian supplies.
Khudatyan stated that Armenia supports Tehran's proposal to increase gas exports from Iran and that the existing infrastructure allows for a significant expansion of their gas-for-electricity swap. He noted that the capacity of the existing gas pipeline exceeds the current volume of gas being transported through it, and that both sides can increase their volumes by more than twofold.
The minister added that Armenia is capable of exporting at least twice as much electricity to Iran and receiving twice as much natural gas in return. The pipeline's capacity is sufficient to handle volumes exceeding this level.