Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 5
By Khalid Kazimov – Trend:
Iranian Oil Ministry will not intervene in the country’s recent gas dispute with Turkmenistan over the outstanding debts for previous natural gas sales, oil minister said.
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has said that the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) and Turkmen state company Turkmengas should resolve the “commercial dispute” themselves, Mizan news agency reported.
He further expressed considerable reluctance to link the gas dispute between Iran and Turkmenistan to diplomatic issues, saying the commercial dispute should not have a negative impact on ties between the two countries.
He also called on the NIGC and Turkmengas to resolve the issue through solutions envisaged in the existing contracts between the two companies.
Reuters citing Turkmen Foreign Ministry reported Jan. 3 that Turkmenistan has limited natural gas supplies to Iran since Jan. 1 over unpaid past deliveries.
In the meantime, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has also expressed the country’s disinclination to turn the gas dispute into a diplomatic issue.