Turkmenistan could start gas, electricity supplies to Armenia via Iran
ASHGABAT. Sept 13 (Interfax) - Turkmen and Armenian agencies are working through issues of gas and electricity supplies from Turkmenistan to Armenia through the territory of Iran with the involvement of Iran, Nebit-Gaz, the online newspaper for Turkmenistan's oil and gas industry, said on Tuesday.
The corresponding instruction was given at the ninth meeting of the Turkmen-Armenian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation held on September 13.
"The meeting discussed the possibilities of expanding cooperation in the field of the fuel and energy complex. To this end, the commission instructed the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan, and state concern Turkmengaz with the participation of the Iranian side to work out and agree on issues related to the supply of gas and electricity from Turkmenistan to Armenia in transit through the infrastructure of Iran and the conclusion of relevant agreements," the newspaper reported.
The commission meeting was chaired by Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister Shakhym Abdrakhmanov, who oversees the fuel and energy complex and is the Turkmen chair of the commission, and Armenian Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Minister Gnel Sanosyan, the commission chair from Armenia.
The Turkmen side invited Armenian companies to participate in the international tenders announced in Turkmenistan's oil and gas sector during the meeting.
"Armenian companies were also invited to explore the possibility of buying at the auctions of the State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange of Turkmenistan products manufactured by state concern Turkmengaz, including liquefied gas, technical sulfur produced as a result of purification of natural gas," and environmentally pure grade ECO-93 gasoline, polyethylene, and polypropylene produced by state concern Turkmenchemistry, the newspaper said.
The parties also agreed to consider the possibility of creating a Turkmenistan trading house in Armenia and an Armenia trading house in Turkmenistan.
The tenth meeting of the commission will take place in Yerevan in 2024.
Turkmenistan has supplied gas to Azerbaijan through the territory of Iran since January 2022 in line with a trilateral agreement. Turkmenistan in line with the agreement supplies 5-6 million cubic meters of gas per day to northeastern regions of Iran, and Iran supplies the same amount to Azerbaijan on its northwestern border.
The annual volume of swap supplies of gas from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan via Iran will total 1.5 billion cubic meters, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji said. Tehran is prepared to cooperate on swap supplies of gas from Turkmenistan to Armenia using the same arrangement, Oji said.