Iran, Turkmenistan Discuss Gas Projects to Turkey
Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey and Turkmenistan are holding negotiations to understand how a final deal between the 6 world powers and Teheran on its nuclear program would change the picture for the Southern Gas Corridor. An official meeting between Turkey and Iran, and informal negotiations between Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey are indeed held simultaneously.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan went to Teheran on Tuesday to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The two leaders, who held hands during the welcoming ceremony, gave the green light to eight bilateral agreements.
During the press conference, Erdoğan asked to reduce gas prices in order to double trade volume between the two countries in the near future. Despite the positive remarks, the two countries keep divergent positions on Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
Over the last months, Teheran stepped up efforts to increase production and its export capacity. On Tuesday, for instance, Iran’s NIGC reported that five gas pressure booster stations are schedule to come online by the end of summer ‘with the aim of boosting gas transfer capacity of the country’.
Meanwhile, according to Azeri newspapers, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov said that Ashgabat is speaking with Azerbaijan and Turkey to join the the Southern Gas Corridor.
“I hope that we will reach an agreement, and it will become another step towards the implementation of the European vector” Berdimuhammadov said as reported by Trend.
RUSSIA IS NOT SCARED, WE WOULD GAIN FROM NUCLEAR TIES WITH TEHERAN, SAYS LAVROV
Meanwhile, Russia said it is not scared by competition and that the lift of sanctions on Iran would benefit Moscow, given ‘highly lucrative’ nuclear deals with Teheran.
On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the opening of Iranian market would not affect Moscow.
“Iranian gas has never come under any harsh sanctions. For many years, Iranian gas has been sent to Turkey, among other countries. Every winter, and our experts have noted this, there are disruptions in distribution, and the Turks ask us to compensate for the missing Iranian gas” Lavrov stated, adding that Russian economy would benefit from long-term cooperation with Iran in the “peaceful use of nuclear energy”.