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Iran eyes gas hub through deals with Turkmenistan
Leader stresses ‘ample capacities’ for bilateral ties
The Leader also expressed his satisfaction with the expansion of bilateral ties between Tehran and Ashgabat over the past years, stressing that there is still room for further cooperation.
“I hope that the newly-elected Iranian government will pursue the development of relations between Iran and Turkmenistan with more vigor,” he noted. Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks after Turkmenistan’s National Leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed four strategic agreements.
Pezeshkian stated that the deals would prove to be key in turning Iran into a regional gas hub and serve the interests of both countries, promising to personally oversee the implementation of the finalized deals. Berdimuhamedow arrived in Tehran earlier in the day and was welcomed by Farzaneh Sadegh, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, who will head the joint committee between the two countries.
The documents, signed at a ceremony attended by Berdimuhamedow and Pezeshkian, included a cooperation plan spanning from 2024 to 2026 and was signed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov. Also, a sisterhood agreement was inked between Iran’s Amirabad Port and Turkmenistan’s Turkmenbashi Port by Iranian Minister Farzaneh Sadegh and Mohammad Khan, CEO of the Turkmenistan Company.
Additionally, a document on enhancing natural gas collaboration was signed by Majid Chegini, Iran’s deputy oil minister, and the CEO of Turkmen Gas Company.
Officials from both countries have signed a joint action plan aimed at enhancing and expanding customs cooperation between the two countries from 2024 to 2026. At a joint press conference with Berdimuhamedow, Pezeshkian stated that the forthcoming meeting in Ashgabat would be focused on implementing the signed agreements.
Other joint projects such as Iran’s participation in the development of Turkmenistan’s gas pipeline were raised by Berdimuhamedow, which was termed as important by Ayatollah Khamenei. “The implementation of such huge projects in the presence of Iranian experts will boost the already close relations between the two countries,” the Leader added.