Turkmenistan: Iranian Deal a Boon to Future Gas Exports, Says Iranian Official

The managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company, Azizollah Ramezani, is upbeat on Iran's energy relationship with Turkmenistan. Ramezani and other Iranian officials are touting a recent Iranian-Turkmen gas agreement as a first step toward the creation of a new export route to Europe.

"Importing gas from Turkmenistan can reduce expenditures, especially pipeline construction costs, while Iran enjoys the opportunity to export gas through Turkmenistan to European markets," Ramezani said in comments posted May 4 on Petroenergy Information Network, a news website that operated under the auspices of Iran's Oil Ministry.

In an interview with EurasiaNet, gas negotiator and deputy director for investment affairs at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), Hojatollah Ghanimifard, appeared to suggest that Iran was interested in becoming Ashgabat's primary energy conduit to Europe. Bilateral cooperation "is very beneficial for Turkmenistan because [exports] can be expanded to other territories, including Europe," he said May 5.

According to a contract signed in February, Turkmenistan will export up to 18 billion cubic meters of gas through Iranian pipelines annually.