Pres. Raisi: Iran is ready to further direct Turkmen gas swaps to Azerbaijan

Tehran, IRNA - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a meeting with his Turkmen counterpart Serdar Berdimuhamedow on Wednesday said that the Islamic Republic is ready to further direct Turkmen gas swaps to Azerbaijan via Iran.

President Raisi, who arrived in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat on Wednesday to attend the 6th Caspian Summit, met and held talks with Berdimuhamedow on Wednesday.

Referring to the 30-year-old friendly and fraternal relations between Tehran and Ashgabat, President Raisi noted that the 13th government in Iran has a special priority for expanding relations and cooperation with neighbors.

Stating that Iran-Turkmenistan relations are rapidly expanding based on the development of neighborly ties and mutual trust, as well as broad cooperation, the President added that the implementation of the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and documents of cooperation inked by the two states during Berdimuhamedow’s visit to Tehran will accelerate the expansion of mutual cooperation.

Facilitating the issuance of business visas and increasing the travel of tradesmen of the two states will pave the way for the expansion and increase of the volume of bilateral trade ties, he noted.

According to the recent request of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to increase the capacity of Turkmen gas swaps to Azerbaijan through the country, he further noted.

Expressing hope that all neighboring countries could use the decisions and understandings made at the 6th Caspian Summit more and better, President Raisi underscored that undoubtedly, the consultations that take place at the summit can lead to better use of the capacities of the Caspian Sea for peaceful purposes, while observing environmental considerations and emphasizing the prevention of the foreigners' presence.

Berdimuhamedow, for his part, thanked President Raisi’s efforts to strengthen Tehran-Ashgabat relations and stressed Turkmenistan's will to implement the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements signed between the two countries.

Describing the Caspian Sea as a common asset for the five coastal states, he went on to say that all sides must protect it with collective efforts and cooperation.

While reviewing and evaluating the progress of the implementation of the agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed between the two states, the two sides stressed that the full implementation of the documents of cooperation will open a new chapter in the interactions between the two countries.