TEHRAN - Iran is moving toward turning into a gas hub in West Asia by resuming imports from Turkmenistan, Shana quoted an energy market expert as saying on Saturday.

According to Hamid Hosseini, any type of energy exchange with neighboring countries promotes Iran’s position in the world’s gas market and increases its share in the gas trade.

The expansion of gas trade with neighbors also improves the transmission of energy in the country, he mentioned.

“Last winter, we faced a gas shortage in the country, particularly in the northeastern part, which is near Turkmenistan,” recalled the expert, continuing, “We can partly meet our gas need by imports from Turkmenistan this year.”

Hosseini, who is a member of the Iranian Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters Union (OPEX), said gas imports from Turkmenistan will also help supply feedstock to the country’s petrochemical complexes.

Iran should have developed its relations with Turkmenistan in the gas sector in the previous years, regretted the analyst, adding the 13th (incumbent) administration seized the opportunity and reached an agreement with Turkmenistan by paying its gas debt to the neighboring country.

EF/