The transformation of Iran into the hub of the region gained momentum

According to Energy Press; Referring to the separate meetings with the presidents of Turkmenistan and Russia, President Masoud Mezikian announced new agreements to increase gas cooperation and said: In the meeting with the national leader and the president of Turkmenistan, there were agreements on cooperation and exchanges of gas, electricity and the development of border markets. It was decided that these agreements will be finalized at the meeting of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation, which is scheduled to be held in Tehran.
The importance of gas cooperation with Turkmenistan
The energy policy of Turkmenistan aims to strengthen the position of the main industry of the country in the world market and implement new structural projects. In this regard, necessary work is being done to actively introduce advanced technologies in the gas sector and expand effective communication with foreign partners.
One of the priority orientations of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy is the comprehensive development of relations with the countries of the world, especially the close neighbors, based on friendship and trust. In the meantime, special importance has been given to multilateral cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The relations between the Turkmen people and Iran go back thousands of years and are developed based on the principles of mutual respect and good neighborliness. Iran is one of the most important commercial and economic partners of Turkmens, and according to modern requirements, the main cooperation vectors are based on the fuel and energy complex, as well as the export and transit of energy resources.
Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran have been interacting in the gas sector for many years based on the principles of friendship, good neighborliness, mutually beneficial and equal partnership. The gas industry is one of the important components of the fuel and energy complex, and at the same time it is the main part of the GDP of Turkmenistan. Currently, advanced and high-performance technologies are effectively entering this field, including in the field of exploration and development of new reserves, transportation, storage, processing of finished products, and delivery of hydrocarbon resources to consumers.
Turkmenistan occupies one of the leading positions in the world in terms of natural gas reserves and is one of the main countries in the Central Asia region that supplies it abroad. Its geographical location and rich reserves of hydrocarbon resources provide great opportunities to increase the volume of exports in different directions, to expand mutually beneficial relations in the fuel and energy sector with all interested partners, including Iran.
The positive experience of joint work between Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the gas sector provides a solid basis for increasing the possibilities of bilateral cooperation. The new gas will be 125 km long in the territory of Turkmenistan and the construction of 3 gas compressor stations will be done. This allows to increase the current volume of gas supply to Iran on the Daulat Abad-Sarkhs-Naziran route and through the Chalovik gas measuring station to 40 billion cubic meters per year.
As a result of these meetings, an important agreement was reached and the Turkmen and Iranian parties signed a contract for the purchase and sale of natural gas in the amount of 10 billion cubic meters per year. According to this document, Turkmenistan’s natural gas will be supplied to the Republic of Iraq in the form of a “swap” scheme through the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is a significant development in the Middle East energy sector. The Iraqi government has approved the plan to import gas from Turkmenistan through Iran, which can significantly change the energy landscape of the region.
According to this contract, Turkmenistan supplies gas to Iran, which in turn sends an equivalent volume to Iraq. The expected annual supply volume will be up to 10 billion cubic meters. The implementation of this project will have a serious impact on the region. According to experts, this will lead to the strengthening of regional economic relations between the participating countries. An important factor is that this project ensures the stabilization of the operation of Iraq’s power plants. Furthermore, this agreement sets an important precedent for similar multilateral energy agreements in the future.