Turkmenistan and Iran Discuss Cooperation in Fuel, Energy, and Transport

Turkmen People's Council Chairman Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed expanding cooperation in the fuel, energy, and transportation sectors, according to the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper on Tuesday.

"Our countries have been cooperating in the fuel and energy sector for many years," the newspaper quoted Berdimuhamedow as saying, The Caspian Post reports citing Interfax.

Agreement has been reached with the Turkish company Botas on the transit of Turkmen natural gas through Iran to Turkey via a swap scheme, he said.

In order to expand cooperation in the electricity sector, Turkmenistan has proposed building a section of the power line (HPP) from the Mary HPP to the Iranian border as part of the construction project for the Merv-Mashhad transmission line, Berdimuhamedow said. The necessary negotiations have already taken place with the Iranian side and a corresponding document has been signed stipulating that the project will be implemented by Iranian companies, he said.

Transportation is among the main areas of bilateral cooperation, the parties said. They discussed a construction project for a highway that will run from the Iranian border to the Turkmen city of Gumdag. A memorandum on implementing this project has been signed and an Iranian company will serve as the contractor.

There is potential for increasing trade turnover, the parties said. Berdimuhamedow suggested organizing another meeting of the Turkmen-Iranian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation in the near future.