TEHRAN – A deal that Iran signed with Azerbaijan to swap Turkmenistan’s gas to Azerbaijan is believed to make the Islamic Republic the region’s energy hub in the long run, Shana reported.

Under the framework of the mentioned deal which was signed by the oil ministers of Iran and Azerbaijan on Sunday evening after the end of a bilateral meeting between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, 1.5 to 2 billion cubic meters of gas a year was agreed to be transferred from Turkmenistan to the Republic of Azerbaijan via Islamic Republic Iran.

Experts believe that the implementation of this deal could encourage other countries in the region to ink similar deals and to use the Islamic Republic’s capacities in this regard.

Having the largest high-pressure gas pipeline network after Russia, Iran can play a key role in transferring gas from east to west of Iran and to the neighboring countries such as Azerbaijan.

This deal is also a big step for Iran as it would ensure stable gas supply to the country’s northeastern regions which are far away from the sources of natural gas in the country.

Iran has major natural gas fields in the south but has imported gas from Turkmenistan since 1997 for distribution in its northern provinces, especially during the winter.

The deal was signed on the sidelines of the 13th ECO summit in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat.

EF/MG