Iran, Azerbaijan to finalize long-term gas deal

In mid-January, NIGEC struck a short-term agreement to import some 500 million cubic meters of gas per day from neighboring Azerbaijan.

"Iran expects to ink another contract to increase the amount of imported gas from Azerbaijan to 2 billion cubic meters per day, when the negotiations are finalized," said Seyed Reza Kasaeizadeh, head of NIGEC, on Wednesday.

Iran is forced to import gas for its northern territories because the country's terrain obstructs supply routes from the energy-rich south.

Azerbaijan and Iran are linked currently via the 1474.5 kilometer Kazi-Magomed-Astara gas pipeline.

In December, 2009 the Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mohammad Baqer Bahrami, said that a new pipeline is needed to supply Iran with the 5 billion cubic meters of gas that it would like to import from Azerbaijan every year.

The infrastructure currently existing between the two countries allows the delivery of about 500 million cubic meters of gas per year.

/Press TV/