TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of
Petroleum Javad Owji has traveled to the Republic of Azerbaijan to participate in the 27th Baku Energy Forum and the 27th International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition (Baku Energy Week).
The minister is also to hold talks with officials attending the three-day event.
The events are held on June 1-3, 2022 with the support of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). The Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition is the first exhibition held since the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan annually in which over 250 companies of the world will take part.
Javad Owji also to delivered a speech on the first day of this international event and hold bilateral or multilateral talks with ministers and senior officials on the sidelines of it.
Tehran and Baku have promoted their relations during Iran’s 13th administration whose policy is focused on increasing regional cooperation. In this regard, Turkmenistan gas swap contract for swapping Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan via Iran’s territory was signed on November 28, 2021 and launched on January 2, 2022. Upon the contract, Iran delivers 1.5-2 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan per year.
There have been ups and downs in Iran-Azerbaijan relations throughout the history but it is clear that the two countries have common interests in Shah Deniz gas field and in the Caspian Sea. Also, the sustainable gas supply to Nakhichevan and Turkmenistan gas swap to Azerbaijan are currently underway. Iran and Azerbaijan are members of the OPEC Plus (OPEC and Non-OPEC coalition) and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).
Seniors officials of the two countries have held several talks and meetings during Iran’s 13th administration and emphasized expansion of bilateral ties in different fields. They believe the two countries have more potential for further cooperation.