Turkmenistan to supply Iraq with gas through barter with Iran
The China-Central Asia gas pipeline in Turkmenistan. Photo: VCG
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan said on Monday that the country will sell 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to Iraq through a swap arrangement with Iran.
The announcement took place after a delegation from the Turkmen government held talks in Baghdad.
The gas-rich central Asian country has a pipeline that connects to Iran, which borders Iraq.
The Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan did not provide details about potential swaps but mentioned that Iraq was interested in a five-year agreement.
Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding last Friday with Turkmenistan to import the gas it needs to operate its power plants, according to the Ministry of Electricity, which indicated that the step requires additional negotiations related to the mechanism of transporting gas through Iran.
Power plants in Iraq depend on gas imports from Iran, which cover one-third of the country’s energy needs.
The Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Ziyad Ali Fadel, said that Iraq will receive gas from Turkmenistan through the pipeline network in Iran linked to Iraq to finally reach power plants in Iraq.
According to the initial agreement with Turkmenistan, Iraq will import about 25 million cubic meters of gas per day, an Iraqi official in the Ministry of Electricity told AFP.
The Iraqi official added that the matter also requires further negotiations with Iran and Turkmenistan.