On Wednesday, November 16, Mr. Owji met and talked with President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Foreign Minister Rashid Muradov, and Shahin Abdurrahmanov, Deputy Head of the Cabinet of Ministers for Oil and Gas Affairs of Turkmenistan, during a one-day visit to neighboring Turkmenistan.

During the meeting with the President of Turkmenistan, Mr. Owji conveyed to him the message of Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Then the two sides discussed various issues including energy, agriculture, customs, transportation, transit, energy exchanges, petrochemicals, product export, catalyst, and transportation. They also discussed roads, railways, health care, and technical and engineering services.

In a meeting with senior Turkmen officials, the Iranian petroleum minister discussed ways to develop oil, product, and gas swaps and how to pay and exchange Tehran's gas debt to Ashgabat.

Iran paid the installment of €400 million of the gas debt to Turkmenistan 4 months ago. About the second installment, which is €470 million, it has also negotiated with the Turkmen authorities, during a one-day trip to Turkmenistan, about how to pay the rest of this debt.

The tripartite swap operation between Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan was signed and started on November 28, 2021, on the sidelines of the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). Based on this agreement, Iran will deliver 1.5 to 2 billion cubic meters of Turkmenistan gas to Azerbaijan annually.

On the sidelines of the signing of this contract, the petroleum minister announced that a step forward was taken in the energy relations of the two countries and that this contract would help to provide stable winter fuel for Razavi, North and South Khorasan provinces as well as Golestan and Semnan provinces.