Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the weekly cabinet meeting, the minister added, “The 13th (incumbent) administration has made every effort since it took office to pay the debt Iran owed to Turkmenistan for gas imports in the previous governments.

“Fortunately, the debt was fully paid in three installments over the past 20 months.”

Iran and Turkmenistan have held talks since the 13th administration took over, said Owji, continuing, “During my first visit to Turkmenistan in 2021, the gas swap contract was followed up, and the volume of gas delivery from Iran to Azerbaijan doubled in 2022.”

He expressed hope that gas trade – imports, exports, swap, and transit – will increase after holding negotiations and signing new memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and contracts with Turkmenistan and other neighboring states.

Iran-Oman oil MoUs

The minister said Iran-Oman oil MoUs have been discussed for more than 20 years.

Owji added the two countries agreed to study exploration and development of their shared Hengam oil field in a joint specialized working group.

“We will firstly conduct studies on the field, and its development will be followed later,” he explained.