Iran and Turkmenistan had a dispute over gas trades, which was addressed by the International Court of Arbitration in 2020. The dispute dates back to 2007 when Turkmengaz stopped gas supplies to Iran because Ashgabat was gripped by unseasonably cold temperatures that year
Teheran, October 27 - Neftegaz.RU. Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji has said the country is determined to settle its
natural gas dues to Turkmenistan as soon as possible, Shana reported.
Oji made the remarks following a meeting with a Turkmen delegation headed by the country’s Foreign Minister
Rashid Meredov on October 26.
According to Oji,
Iran has 2 long-term (25 years) deals with Turkmenistan based on which the country imported 40 million m
3 of gas on a daily basis.
The Minister said:
- Unfortunately, in the previous government, Turkmenistan's gas exports to Iran were cut off due to the delay in payment of Turkmenistan's dues
-
The issue was referred to the International Court of Arbitration, and this court determined the exact amount of Iran's debt to Turkmenistan
-
The negotiations with the Turkmen delegation which consisted of representatives of the country’s energy and banking sectors were positive
-
Fortunately, with appropriate planning that we had already done, positive negotiations were done to settle the mentioned debt
According to the official, representatives of the National Iranian Gas Company (
NIGC) and the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) will continue the negotiations between the
2 countries at the expert level in the coming days.
Oji stated:
- Considering the solutions and proposals that we have presented, the debt to the Turkmen side will undoubtedly be settled, and we are determined in this regard
The minister further announced Iran's readiness to export technical and engineering services to
Turkmenistan, saying that Iran has a high capacity in the petrochemical, refinery, onshore and offshore
drilling, as well as oil & gas industries that it can provide to Turkmenistan.
He stressed that the main purpose of the meeting between the 2 sides was to promote comprehensive relations with Turkmenistan, adding:
- With the good planning done by the Oil Ministry, more such events will undoubtedly take place during this government considering the positive and good attitude that we saw from the Turkmen side
