Turkmenistan gas swap to Azerbaijan has been put on the 13th administration’s agenda since it took office, he said, adding: “The contact to swap Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan via Iran’s territory was signed on the sidelines of the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Ashgabat after several rounds of negotiations and in presence of Iranian and Azerbaijani presidents, and came on stream on January 1, 2022."

Signing the gas swap contract has paved the way for cooperation in other sectors including transportation, power, trade and such areas, he said.

Iranian and Azerbaijani officials reached agreements on the development of joint fields in the form of a joint committee, he said, adding: “Azerbaijan and Shah Deniz field are the only places Iran has invested in. The two countries have also made a power import agreement.”

Azerbaijan has announced its readiness to participate in some Iranian projects including Rasht-Astara railway, he noted, adding: “Iran’s Supreme Leader and President emphasized further development of relations with Azerbaijan.”

Iran used to produce 25 million cubic meters of gas per day before the Islamic Revolution. After the revolution, when foreign experts, especially American ones, left our oil industry, we produce about one billion cubic meters of gas per day thanks to local experts.

We are developing the industry without foreign professionals, he stressed, stating: “Iran is the world’s largest holder of oil and gas reserves in total, and the industry has been developed by domestic specialists.”

Referring to his trip to Latin America, Owji said, “since 2017 when the United States imposed sanctions on Latin American countries, particularly Venezuela, their whole oil industry has been halted as it was generally developed by foreign experts.”

Iran’s Petroleum Minister is in Azerbaijan to participate in Baku Energy Week and hold talks with officials attending the three-day international event.

The events are held on June 1-3, 2022 with the support of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). The Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition is the first exhibition held since the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan annually in which over 250 companies of the world will take part.