Iran and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding in Tehran on Wednesday to broaden ties in the field of gas industry.
Iranian Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi and Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz signed the MOU, the Mehr News Agency reported.
Transferring Iranian gas to Europe via Turkey, boosting the presence of Turkish firms in Iran''s petrochemical sector, and developing Iran''s gas fields were among the MOU items.
Iranian oil minister said in the signing ceremony that grounds are prepared for the expansion of energy ties between the two states. He expressed the hope that the MOU would come into effect within the next four months.
Referring to the one-month deadline which has been given by Iran to Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) to finalize the deal to develop phases 22, 23 and 24 of Iran''s South Pars gas field, Mirkazemi said the deadline has been extended by three months.
Iran and TPAO signed an agreement in 2008 based on which the Turkish side undertook to produce 20.4 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas annually from three development phases of Iran''s South Pars gas field, but the deal has been delayed.
Taner Yildiz for his part lauded Iran''s achievements in the energy sector, saying his country sees the huge oil and gas reserves of Iran as a welcome opportunity to broaden relations with its neighboring country.
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, heading a high-ranking delegation arrived in Tehran on Monday night.
Erdogan's delegation is comprised of 200 political and economic officials including 20 MPs, ministers of foreign affairs, energy, foreign trade, culture, environment and industry, and eighty representatives of private sector companies, as well as 30 media representatives.