Russian firms to expedite Iran oil projects: Official

Teheran, January 27 - Neftegaz.RU. Mehran Amir Moeini, Deputy Director of Marketing & Gas Operations of the International Department of the NIOC said:

• Given the progress it has made in the gas sector, including large-scale projects, especially in deep-water, drilling technology and project financing, Russia can facilitate implementation of projects such as the development of gas fields, LNG plants and construction of pipelines in deep water projects in Iran by transferring these experiences to the country

While the European gas demand could represent an opportunity for Iran, Tehran will have to effectively drive a wedge between Europe and Russia over gas imports to access European markets, all while avoiding ostracizing Brussels or Moscow in its efforts.

Mehran Amir Moeini said that Iran and Russia are the top 2 countries in terms of gas reserves and are competitors in gas trade, but these days there is a lot of controversy that Russia does not allow Iran to enter the European market.
He noted:

• Russia has the tools to export gas to Europe, when you want to enter the European market, price is an important issue, the Russians can maneuver on it
• Can Iran compete with Russian price and is there flexibility in price offers from Iran?
• Whether Russia wants to have a competitor in the European market
• The answer to this question is definitely «no»
• Is the European market important for Russia?
• Yes, it is 100% important, it is even more important than Iran

Mehran Amir Moeini said that in any case, Russia is closer to Europe than Iran, and it has created and developed the necessary infrastructure to enter this market, and it has a history of being present in this region, but to say that Iran wanted and the Russians prevented us from entering this market does not seem as a correct and logical statement.

He emphasized that in order to enter the European market, Iran must pay attention to how important this market is for Teheran.
He asked:

• Is it so important that we forgot all our interests in other export markets in the 1^st place and our only goal is to reach the European gas market?
• In the case of Russia, too, I believe it would have been possible if we had wanted to enter the European market ourselves

It should also be noted that Iran has signed important strategic agreements with China (25-year agreement) and Russia (20-year strategic agreement) which affect its geopolitical considerations when exporting gas.