Negotiations Underway to Overcome Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan Gas Transfer Halt
On January 8, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are holding talks to resolve the problem that has caused the suspension of gas exchange between the two countries via Iran.
The National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), affiliated with the Iranian Oil Ministry, stated that the stoppage in gas exchange is temporary, and the transfer will resume after the problem is resolved.
Notably, according to the tripartite swap agreement signed in Ashgabat on November 28, 2021, Iran started transporting the gas it bought from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan in January 2022. The agreement envisages the transportation of up to 1.5-2 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas annually to Azerbaijan through Iran. In early June 2022, Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and Iran's Oil Minister Javad Owji signed a memorandum of understanding in Baku. The memorandum envisaged that gas transportation from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan through Iran would be doubled.
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