TURKMENISTAN

Turkmenistan will provide loans to Afghanistan to fund TAPI, Waliullah Shahin, chairman of the Center for Strategic Studies of the Afghan Foreign Ministry said, Orient reports.

“We have agreed with Turkmenistan to provide loans to Afghanistan to repay the costs that Afghanistan demands, and Afghanistan will repay in the future with operating costs,” he said.

Shahin also said that 7 agreements with colleagues on the TAPI gas pipeline will be signed soon.

The Presidents of Iran and Turkmenistan emphasised the strengthening of border cooperation and facilitating trade, stressing the promotion of economic and trade cooperation to increase the level of relations between the two countries.

The contract on the swap of Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan through Iran is an important and a strategic step, Head of Vienna Energy Research Group in Austria Fereydoun Berkeshli told Shana News Agency, Trend reports.

According to him, if the contract is implemented and continued, it can create a roadmap for gas diplomacy in the region.

Turkmenistan has the opportunity to supply natural gas to the European market until 2050, Ambassador of the European Union to Turkmenistan Diego Ruiz Alonso said in an interview with the Turkmen ORIENT news agency.

Diego Ruiz Alonso said that during this period, Europe, which focused on the “green economy”, will still be forced to use traditional, hydrocarbon fuels.

A member of the Energy Committee of the Islamic Consultative Assembly said that the gas swap between Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan shows the strong will of the Ministry of Petroleum in economic and energy diplomacy. The trilateral contract on the swapping of gas between Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan will help strengthen Iran's friendly relations with neighboring countries, Iranian MP Hadi Beiginejad told Shana News Agency.

Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan signed a trilateral agreement on swap gas supplies in Ashgabat on Sunday.

The signing took place in the presence of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi.

According to the agreement, annually from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan through Iran will be sent from one and a half to two billion cubic meters of gas.

The Turkmen authorities agreed to participate in the “Lapis Lazuli”, which will connect Afghanistan with Turkey through Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

İt is presented as an opportunity to export Afghan goods to Europe.

The agreement on transit and transport cooperation Lapis Lazuli between Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Turkmenistan was signed on November 15, 2017, at the ministerial meeting of the 7th Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan in Ashgabat.

The Afghan and Turkmen officials on Saturday held a conference in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat to discuss the practical work on joint projects.

The participants included acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum of Afghanistan Mohammad Isa, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Afghanistan Hoja Ovezov and other officials from the two countries, the TOLOnews television network reports.

Tehran and Baku have agreed on swap gas supplies to Azerbaijan via Iran from neighboring countries, including Turkmenistan, the Iranian Minister of Petroleum Javad Owji said on Sunday in Tehran following the talks with visiting Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev.

„A constructive meeting was held with the Azerbaijani delegation and important agreements were reached”, the Shana news agency quoted Owji as saying.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed an order on the conclusion of a contract between the Turkmengas State Concern and the UAE Auguste International F.Z.E. for the purchase of technical equipment and spare parts, the “Watan” newscast of the Turkmen television reported on November 17-th, 2021.

The technical equipment and spare parts will be used to replace obsolete equipment and repair installations at gas production stations of Dovletabatgazchykarysh department of the state concern in south-eastern Turkmenistan.