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Armenian press digest“Russians just refuse to take us seriously”: Armenian press digestArmenia-IranArmenia needs deeper relations with Iran, Azg daily reports the director of the Caucasian Center for Iranian Studies Garnik Asatryan and its editor-in-chief Hakob Avetikyan as saying at a Yerevan scientific conference “Present-day Iran as Viewed by Armenian Intellectuals,” an event devoted to the 27th anniversary of the Iranian revolution. They say that it is necessary to develop bilateral relations and to deeper understand each other. The conferees discussed Armenian-Iranian relations in culture, Iran’s role in the region, the country’s achievements in arts. At the 6th meeting of the Armenian-Iranian inter-governmental commission on trade-economic relations, Tehran, Feb 2, Iranian Economy and Finance Minister Davud Danesh-Jafari said: “Iran wants the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline project to be finished as early as possible. We hope that the pipeline will be launched in Jan 2007. Tehran and Yerevan are also interested in the projects to lay a high-voltage PTL, to build a gas TPP, a power plant and a borderline transport terminal in Nurduz.” (Aravot) Radio Liberty reports Iranian Economy and Finance Minister Davud Danesh-Jafari to say that Iran wants and will help Armenia to join the North-South transport corridor agreement. 168 Zham daily notes that now they have to do something to make the Armenian authorities want this too. The United States understands Armenia’s energy situation and its aspiration to diversify its energy sources, US Ambassador in Armenia John Evans says in a Feb 3 press-conference in response to the question about the problems Armenian-Iranian cooperation may pose to Armenian-US relations. Noyan Tapan news agency reports Evans as saying that Armenian-US relations are progressing and will progress in the future too. He points out three key problems the US has with Iran. First, Iran helps terrorist organizations, first of all, Hezbollah. Second, Iran has obvious problems with human rights and has been violating them for over 20 years already. One bigger problem is Iran’s nuclear program. Following this, the US has formed a legislation applying sanctions against companies investing in the Iranian energy sector more than allowed. Until now Armenia’s cooperation with Iran has not run counter to the US legislation, says Evans. He notes that in his meetings with Armenian officials he has repeatedly noted that the cooperation with Iran should not come up to the level of possible sanctions. The US is an advocate of free market and prefers energy problems to be solved within this market. The last crisis in Georgia and also Armenia, has shown what the South Caucasian countries should do to get stable energy sources. |
