TEHRAN, Iran, Nov. 16
Trend:
The former Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan said that the need for Iranian gas is a definite fact.
"It is true that Afghanistan has significant gas reserves, but it is not currently exploitable,” former Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan Abolfazl Zohrevand said, Trend reports citing ILNA.
Regarding the issue of security of gas pipelines in Afghanistan, he said that "The issue of security can be solved.”
“In the first step, it is possible to export gas to Zaranj and Herat and through the border of Dogharoun, which have good security,” he said. “So in the first phase, there are no restrictions and obstacles.”
The former Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan said that "We do not have any problem in terms of gas supply, it is a matter of capacity and infrastructure that the Afghan side must construct."
“They may be able to set up factories at the border between Iran and Afghanistan,” he said referring to the infrastructure needed.
"Iran's strategy is to ensure stability and lasting security in Afghanistan," he said. "This gas can also be exported to eastern China."
“Gas export to Afghanistan is important for Iran in terms of this country's development. The more developed Afghanistan, the more stable the secure region," he noted.
Zohrehvand stressed that Iran needs a stable and developed Afghanistan, so Iran views gas exports to Afghanistan as a way of securing stability rather than economic issues.
According to ILNA, during a visit to Iran on October 19, Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman, High Council for National Reconciliation of Afghanistan announced that the issue of gas imports from Iran was discussed in the Joint Economic Commission.
In this regard, on November 7, Hassan Montazer Torbati, CEO of the National Gas Company, announced that the initial plan for gas exports to Afghanistan has been prepared.