TEHRAN - Head of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Dispatching Department announced an increase in Iran’s gas exports to Iraq in the current Iranian calendar year (began on March 21).

Mohammadreza Joulaei made the remarks in a meeting with senior officials of the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity that was held in Isfahan, central Iran on Sunday, Shana reported.

“Our relationship with Iraq is a strategic one,” Joulaei said in the meeting.

Referring to the negotiations made in the meeting, the official said: “Annual and quarterly meetings are held with the officials of the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity to discuss the gas export contract with this country, so technical and operational issues of this contract were also discussed in this meeting.”

Referring to the beginning of the cold season in Iran and the increase in gas consumption in the domestic sector, the NIGC official stated: “Considering the amount of consumption in the last six months and the demand increase in the next six months, the necessary technical and operational investigations have been carried out so that we do not have any problems for exports and the gas export is going to be carried out according to the agreement made with the Iraqi parties.”

Ahmed Musa, spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, said on Sunday that his country paid all its debts for gas imports to Iran, adding an Iraqi delegation is visiting Iran to discuss an increase in gas imports.

In an interview with Iraqi News Agency (INA), Mousa said that his country imports 20 million cubic meters of gas from Iran every day and that Iraq needs more gas now.

The official added that his country has no debts to Iran over the gas imports, adding: "Negotiations, meetings, and visits to Iran are ongoing with the aim of coordination on an increase in gas imports."

EF/MA