RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2763
TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.08.2010

DR. T. SUBBARAMI REDDY:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether exclusion of India from IPI gas pipeline project was taken up with Iran and Pakistan;
(b) if so, whether the Minister visited Iran and has taken up this question with Iranian Government;
(c) if so, whether main differences are about pricing and security of the pipeline;
(d) if so, to what extent these issues were resolved with Iranian Government; and
(e) if so, by when a final decision India would take up for the trilateral issues on IPI gas pipeline?

ANSWER THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI S.M. KRISHNA)

(a) India has not been excluded from the IPI gas pipeline project.

(b) Does not arise.

(c) to (e) India has been involved in discussions on the IPI pipeline project. Among the issues that have been focussed upon relating to the pipeline project are those relating to pricing, transit fee and transportation tariff, point of delivery, project structure and security of the pipeline. Such multilateral projects involve protracted discussions, as all the aspects have to be carefully examined and deliberated upon to the satisfaction of the participating countries to protect each country’s interests and to avoid any problems in the future in the successful operation of the Project.

India and Iran have agreed for an early meeting of the India-Iran bilateral Joint Working Group on Oil And Gas, which discusses bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, including the IPI Gas pipeline project.

http://www.mea.gov.in/mystart.php?id=220116408.

Rajya Sabha

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South Asia