BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 27
By Farida Nuri – Trend:
Iran is determined and intends to pay off its gas debt to Turkmenistan as soon as possible, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji said, following a meeting with a Turkmen delegation led by Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov in Tehran, Trend reports citing the Business Turkmenistan information portal.
According to the minister, Iran is seeking to resume gas imports from Turkmenistan, which once amounted to about 40 million cubic meters per day, as part of a long-term deal with the Turkmengaz state concern.
The minister noted that the export of Turkmen gas to Iran was stopped due to Iran’s non-compliance with the requirements of Turkmenistan.
Owji added that this issue was considered in the International Arbitration Court, which determined the exact amount of Iran's debt to Turkmenistan.
“Taking into account what we have already done, good negotiations were held,” Owji said, commenting on the meeting with the Turkmen delegation.
According to Owji, for this purpose, representatives of the National Gas Company and the Central Bank of Iran will continue negotiations between the two countries at the expert level in the coming days.
"Taking into account the decisions and proposals we have presented, the debt to the Turkmen side will undoubtedly be paid off," the minister said.
In his opinion, the resumption of the export of Turkmen gas to Iran may become the first step towards the comprehensive development of relations between the two countries.
The visit of the Turkmen delegation to Tehran, which began on October 26, will last two days. It will host the 16th meeting of the Joint Turkmen-Iranian Commission on Economic Cooperation, as well as political consultations between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.