Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Feb. 11 /Trend, G.Hasanov /
With its regional partners, Iran takes steps to ensure the transportation of energy resources from Central Asia to Europe, says the article by the Iranian ambassador in Ashgabat Hashemi Golpaegani circulated in the media outlets of Turkmenistan on Friday.
"Constructive measures are taken to transport energy resources, particularly natural gas and oil from Central Asia, including Turkmenistan to the ports of Chabahar and Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, as well as to transport them to Europe via a route of Iraq-Syria or Turkey," the article says.
The diplomat noted that relevant documents were recently signed in this regard. According to him, Iran, whose trade turnover with Turkmenistan totals about $4 billion, is Turkmenistan's first partner on foreign trade.
Besides, he added that the two countries have recently built a pipeline Dovletabad-Serhas-Hangeran-Sangbast with great export potential."
According to official Turkmen sources, under the project, the pipeline will provide an opportunity to increase deliveries to 12 billion cubic meters of gas annually. Given the current gas pipeline Korpedzhe-Kurtkui to the west of Turkmenistan, Iran will be able to annually purchase 20 billion cubic meters of gas in Turkmenistan
New supplies are designed to meet the needs of fuel north-eastern Iran, in particular, in the province of Semnan Mazandaran, Golestan, Khorasan-Rezavi, North Khorasan, and South Khorasan.
The project was implemented within the framework of an agreement signed in July 2010 between such agencies as the state concern Turkmengaz and Iran national gas company. The parties agreed to increase export of Turkmen natural gas to Iran from 8 bcm to 14 billion cubic meters in 2010, and in the long term - up to 20 billion cubic meters of fuel a year.