MP urges need to stop dependence on gas imports from other countries

EghtesadOnline: A member of Majlis (Parliament) Energy Commission has said that Iran should no longer be dependent on any other country to meet its gas demands since such dependency is against the country's national dignity.

News ID: ۷۷۲۷۷۹

31 December 2016

Since Iran enjoys largest gas reserves in the region, it is better to meet its gas demands from its own resources, Ali Adiani told IRNA on Friday.

Adiani made the remarks following a recent dispute between Iran and Turkmenistan over gas imports after Ashkhabad, despite its previous agreements with Tehran, demanded for illogically high prices for its exported gas to Iran's northern regions.

Turkmenistan provides gas for parts of the northern Iranian provinces, however, the gas transfer was lately interrupted due to cop-out from Ashkhabad.

This year, the Iranian government informed its Turkmen counterpart that it will no longer accept any demands out of the previously made agreements between the two sides.

On December 30, Iranian representatives who were in Turkmenistan for talks over the dispute were told by Tehran to leave the negotiating table warning their Turkmen counterparts that Tehran will not accept any issue beyond the previously made bilateral agreements.

Everything was ready for declaring Iran's decision about cutting gas imports from Turkmenistan, when Ashkhabad gave in to Tehran's demands and called on the Iranian envoys to come back to the negotiating table while they were at the airport ready to leave for Tehran.

According to Iran's Petroleum Ministry, Turkmenistan has finally agreed to continue its gas exports to the northern Iranian provinces.

Turkmenistan had already asked to receive what it said to be a 1.8-billion-dollar debt from Iran, a claim that was not confirmed by the Iranian side.