Malek Shariati Niasar, the Iranian Parliament’s Energy Committee spokesman, made the remarks in his talks with SHANA and called for seizing the opportunity and swapping gas from Turkmenistan.

The MP praised the Ministry of Petroleum under the 13th (incumbent) administration for promoting energy diplomacy and added, “In the past, all attention was focused on Western countries and the gas deal with Turkmenistan was canceled due to poor energy diplomacy, inflicting damage on the country’s gas sector and even traders.”

The spokesman said gas imports from Turkmenistan will also help meet some part of the needs in north and northeastern Iran.

Now, the positive approaches [adopted by the incumbent administration] in the energy diplomacy have helped clear the debt Iran owed to Turkmenistan for importing gas in the previous governments and expand Tehran-Ashgabat economic relations, Shariati Niasar said.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of his last week’s meeting with Batyr Amanov, the chairman of the Türkmengaz State Concern, Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji said, “The 13th administration started swapping 1.5 to 2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas per year when it took office on the basis of a contract with the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the volume of gas swap almost doubled last year following the two sides’ agreement.”

A gas contract will be signed with Turkmenistan soon and imports will begin in June, the minister continued.

Turkmenistan is the fourth-largest holder of gas reserves in the world and Iran has the capacity of importing 40 to 50 mcm/d, said Owji, adding, “We intend to boost our gas trade (swap, transit, and transactions) in the region, which be beneficial for both countries.”

Last Tuesday, Iran’s President Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi held talks with visiting Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and said Tehran and Ashgabat have great capacities for promoting their cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, transit and customs affairs, agriculture, and science and technology.

Tehran-Ashgabat relations have been considerably enhanced since Iran’s incumbent government took office about two years ago, as it is determined to boost the country’s ties with neighbors, Raeisi added.