BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 12. Iran should purchase gas from Turkmenistan and sign long-term contracts in this direction, Iranian former ambassador to Türkiye Firouz Dolatabadi told ILNA, Trend reports.
Dolatabadi noted that Caspian littoral countries, especially Turkmenistan are more profitable for Iran to buy oil and gas.
“There are two main reasons why it is profitable for Iran to buy gas from Turkmenistan. The first is that there is no balance between gas production and consumption in Iran. The second reason is that Iran has agreements with Türkiye, Iraq and other countries on gas export. However, due to the lack of gas, Iran’s gas exports have decreased or stopped. This resulted in markets such as Iraq turning to Saudi Arabia,” he added.
The ex-ambassador also said that if Iran does not buy gas from Turkmenistan, it may result in great losses. Currently, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan also intend to buy additional gas from Turkmenistan.
Reportedly, Turkmenistan's gas export to Iran is carried out within the framework of the gas swap contract signed between Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
On November 28, 2021, a tripartite contract on the swapping of 1.5-2 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan through Iran per year was signed between Iran and Azerbaijan in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on the sidelines of the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). The implementation of the contract began on January 1, 2022.
According to the memorandum signed between Iran and Azerbaijan in June, the gas swap has been doubled.
Meanwhile, as of January 15, 2023, Turkmenistan's gas exports to Iran have been suspended due to domestic consumption, and resumed on February 9.
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