Trade between Turkmenistan and Iran is currently valued at approximately $500 million. However, Iranian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ali Mojtaba Rouzbehani believes this figure is set to soar as the two nations collaborate on new economic ventures.
In an interview with the Turkmenistan newspaper, the ambassador highlighted the significance of a recent gas swap agreement with Iraq, signed in early July. This deal, he stated, marks a pivotal moment in Iran-Turkmenistan economic relations.
“Of course, the export of Turkmen natural gas to Iraq (and later to other countries) under the swap scheme will enhance Turkmenistan’s position in terms of strengthening peace, stability and development. Along with this, cooperation in the field of electric power industry, both directly with Iran and in the form of transit to other countries, is considered a promising area of economic relations,” Rouzbehani stressed.
Over the past three years, a number of bilateral and multilateral summits have been held, and 17 cooperation documents have been signed. Two meetings of the joint intergovernmental commission on consular, border and customs issues, the first round of the meeting of the economic commission, as well as dozens of meetings at different levels devoted to specific topics of cooperation have been organized, the Ambassador said.
Speaking about the proximity of the geopolitical and geostrategic views of Iran and Turkmenistan, the envoy noted that Iran is for Turkmenistan, including for other Central Asian countries, a convenient access to the waters of the Persian Gulf, open seas and Europe.
In turn, Turkmenistan is considered a crossroads of communications between the East (China) and the West, North and South.
“Accordingly, the Iranian side, in its approach to the issue of international transit traffic, constantly emphasizes the need to strengthen the One Belt, One Road initiative and the North-South corridor crossing Iran and Turkmenistan. From the point of view of regional cooperation, our country is committed to the practical implementation of the Ashgabat Agreement, the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway agreement,” Rouzbehani said.
The Ambassador stressed the fact that President Masoud Pezeshkian sees strengthening cooperation with neighboring countries as one of the priorities of the Iranian government.
“It is encouraging that Turkmenistan adheres to the same approach,” the Ambassador said, expressing hope that bilateral cooperation between Iran and Turkmenistan will develop at a high pace. ///nCa, 5 August 2024