According to the news outlet IRNA, Iran’s Commercial Attaché to Turkmenistan Rahmatollah Khormali said on 2 July in a meeting with business people of Iran’s province Golestan that the main reason for the decrease in Iran-Turkmenistan commercial ties is energy price drop.
Khormali said that “the Turkmen government has started a long-term industrial program and is looking for variety in energy market.”
“We need to be aware that Turkmenistan has changed energy use, and so, we need to believe that its market is not what it used to be; we need to examine today’s situations”, the diplomat said.
In late May the Managing Director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Hamidreza Araqi said on Friday said that Iran was going to continue buying gas from Turkmenistan if it decreases the price.
If Ashgabat does not accept Iran conditions, the Islamic Republic will file a suit against Turkmenistan in the International Court of Arbitration.
Let us recall that in late 2016 a public row broke out between Iran and Turkmenistan regarding gas exports after Turkmengas demanded that the debt amounting to $1,8 to $2 billion be repaid by NIGC.
The Iranian media outlets reported that after lengthy negotiations the sides had reached a mutual agreement.Despite this, on 1 January 2017 Turkmenistan cut off gas supplies to Iran.