Swapping of Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan via Iran is strategic step – Iranian official

By Trend

The contract on the swap of Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan through Iran is an important and a strategic step, Head of Vienna Energy Research Group in Austria Fereydoun told Shana News Agency, Trend reports.

According to him, if the contract is implemented and continued, it can create a roadmap for gas diplomacy in the region.

Berkeshli also added that the gas corridor between Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran can last for many years. This is Iran's first participation in a trilateral energy project.

"At present, a project on transporting Turkmen and Azerbaijani gas to Turkey and from there to Europe is being implemented. Under the TANAP gas project, which called the ‘Energy Silk Road’, 12 billion cubic meters of gas per year will be transported through a 1,850-kilometer pipeline," the official noted.

Berkeshli stressed that Iran should pay attention to the project in order to transport its gas. Long-term revenues in the gas sector are becoming a reality for strategic purposes.

On November 28, 2021, a tripartite contract on the swapping of 1.5-2 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan through Iran per year was signed between Iran and Azerbaijan in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on the sidelines of the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). According to the contract, daily 5-6 million cubic meters of gas will be swapped.