By IANS
New Delhi : India has not received any official information from Iran about China expressing interest in joining the $7 billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said here Thursday.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the minister said: “No official communication has been received regarding China joining the IPI gas pipeline project.”
He also maintained that negotiations were on between the three countries to resolve pending issues.
“Important issues concerning the implementation of the project are under discussion among the participating countries,” he added.
“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 avoid any problems in the future in the successful operation of the project,” he said.