TEHRAN – Chairman of the People’s Council of the National Assembly of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi here on Tuesday oversaw the signing of five cooperation documents.
The documents involve cooperation in the fields of transit and international corridors, energy, export of agricultural products, electricity, education and investment.
Berdimuhamedov, who holds the highest authority in Turkmenistan, has traveled to Iran at the head of a high-ranking delegation of political and economic officials to meet President Raisi and other Iranian officials.
His son, Sardar Bardimohamedov, traveled to Tehran for the first time as the president of Turkmenistan in June.
Minister of Petroleum Javad Owji said the two sides would sign an agreement under which Iran will import 10 million cubic meters of natural gas a day from Turkmenistan.
In December 2021, President Raisi visited the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat to attend the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit, where he oversaw the signing of a tripartite gas swap agreement to transfer up to 2 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan via Iran.
Last June, President Raisi went to Ashgabat on his second visit to Turkmenistan, for a summit with the leaders of the other four countries along the Caspian Sea to discuss regional cooperation and international issues.
The presidents of Iran and Turkmenistan reviewed agreements concluded between the two countries, emphasizing that their full implementation would open a new chapter in their cooperation and bring a leap in economic and commercial relations between Tehran and Ashgabat.
Shortly after he took the helm, President Raisi outlined two main priorities in Iranian foreign policy: improving relations with neighbors, and expanding ties with Asian powers.
He is just back from an official visit to Indonesia, his 12th foreign trip during the 21 months in office, which Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian called “a turning point” set to commence a new chapter in bilateral relations.
The swap deal signed in Ashgabat marked the first step in efforts that began 25 years ago to turn Iran into the center of gravity and a gas hub in the region.
Due to its geographical location, Iran can receive gas from producing countries and deliver it to the countries that have gas shortages on the other side of the border, turning into a major gas transmission conduit in the region.
For the Turkmen gas swap, Iran is using the pipeline which it used to import gas for consumption in its northern provinces.
Under the swap deal, Iran receives up to two billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan and deliver an equivalent amount to Azerbaijan at the Astara border.
Iran has major natural gas fields in the south, but has imported gas from Turkmenistan since 1997 for distribution in its northern provinces, especially during the winter.
The swap deal allows Iran to consume the imported gas in the country’s north and export an equivalent amount at a higher price to neighboring countries.