Supply of natural gas to Nagorno-Karabakh capital not restored yet

YEREVAN, April 28. /ARKA/. The repair of a section of the natural gas pipeline that delivers the gas to Nagorno-Karabakh capital Stepanakert and to natural gas filling stations has not been completed yet due to technical reasons, the local operator Artsakhgaz reported.

The supplies were halted the previous day and were supposed to resume at about 18:00 on April 28.

'Artsakhgaz specialists are doing their best to restore the gas supply as soon as possible. We apologize to the subscribers for the inconveniences caused", the operator said.

Natural gas supply to Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia was first disrupted on March 8 this year due to damage to a pipeline passing through Azerbaijan-controlled territory near the town of Shushi. It was again cut on March 21. Nagorno-Karabakh authorities argued that they had sufficient grounds to assume that as a result of repairs of the gas pipeline blown up on March 8 the Azerbaijani side installed a valve which it used to cut off the gas supply.

For 11 days -from March 8 to March 19, and then from March 21 to March 28 the population of Artsakh was deprived of gas supplies from Armenia, resulting in power outages, while hospitals and other socially important facilities were left without heating, school holidays began earlier than planned. Negotiations were held with the participation of Russian peacekeepers, but the Azerbaijani side for several days prevented the repair of the gas pipeline. -0-