Whilst visiting Syria, a Stroytransgaz delegation headed by the Chairman of the Management Board Mr Vyacheslav Makhonin signed a contract to construct an extension of the Arab Gas Pipeline. Director of the Syrian Gas Co. Mr Ali Abbas signed the contract on behalf of his company. First VP Mr Leonid Bokhanovsky and First VP Mr Evgeny Zagorodny were present at the signing ceremony to represent Stroytransgaz. The Arab Gas Pipeline Project Phase 2 will run 62km and have a diameter of 36in. Its route will run from the Turkish-Syrian border in a southerly direction to Aleppo, the site of the pressure reduction and metering station. The contract will be conducted on terms. In addition to laying the linear part of the gas pipeline, the contract provides for Stroytransgaz to build the metering station of 3 million cum of gas per day capacity, construct systems for automatic control, and install SKADA, telecommunications, and monitoring and control instrumentation for detecting gas leakage and extinguishing fire. The project will be completed in 18 months at a cost of EUR 45.2 million.