President Raisi made the remarks in joint meeting of high-ranking delegations from Iran and Turkmenistan in Tehran on Tuesday.

Referring to the problem of water shortage as a common dilemma faced by regional countries, the Iranian president said that if the regional countries try to have constructive cooperation and interaction in this field as Iran and Turkmenistan did by constructing the friendship dam they will overcome their problem.

Raisi said that Iran’s regional diplomacy is restoring and reinforcing peace, stability and security.

“We firmly believe that the major part of the region’s problems, including lack of formation of serious cooperation in different issues is due to the presence of foreigners in the region,” the Iranian president said.

He pointed out that the presence of aliens in the region not only does not result in security and tranquility, it also disrupts security and peace.

The former Turkmen president, for his part, said that Turkmenistan has always supported the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policies in the field of restoring peace and stability to the region.

He said that the two countries will continue their cooperation on construction of friendship dam as a model for regional cooperation.

Later after the meeting, Iran and Turkmenistan signed five two cooperation agreements and three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to expand their economic and energy cooperation.

Senior officials from Iran and Turkmenistan put their signatures to the documents which outline cooperation between the two countries on areas like international corridors and cargo transit, energy, agrifood exports, electricity, education and investment, among other things.

Turkmenistan and Iran are two major natural gas producers in the world and have been trading gas for swap delivery purposes for years.

Raisi said after meeting Berdimuhamedow on Tuesday that Iran and Turkmenistan are closer than neighbors because of their historical roots and should seek to expand their bilateral relations.

He said the two countries had agreed to increase the hours and capacity of customs services at their borders to help boost cargo transit from Iran to countries in Central Asia and vice versa.

The Iranian president said Iran will increase its supply of technical and engineering services and agricultural products to Turkmenistan based on MoUs signed on Tuesday.

Meanwhile emphasizing the activation of Ashgabat agreement, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development announced the drafting of a comprehensive transportation document between Iran and Turkmenistan.

Mehrdad Bazrpash made the comments in the meeting with the head of the Transport and Communications Agency of Turkmenistan which is linked with the Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday.

Bazarpash emphasized strengthening the relations between the two countries by pointing out that the two countries have a lot in common in transportation matters.

“Our approach in the government is to develop relations with all neighbors, including Turkmenistan,” he added.

Stating that there are 600 wagons passing through shared Sarakhs and Incheh Borun border crossing every day, Bazrpash said “Considering the potential of these borders, we should look for a further increase in wagons.”

Stressing the revival of Ashgabat agreement, the Iranian minister suggested that the implementation and operational phase of the Ashgabat transit agreement be followed up on in the joint economic commission of Iran and Turkmenistan, which will be held in Turkmenistan next month, with the participation of the member states.

Bazrpash emphasize Turkmenistan’s greater participation in completing the North-South corridor, especially in the south of their country and on the Persian Gulf and added, “Currently, Arab countries have invested in the Persian Gulf, and Turkmenistan can also play a part in this corridor.”

Considering maritime transportation, the Iranian minister said, “The two countries of Iran and Turkmenistan have many water borders, which facilitate the docking of commercial ships in Turkmenbashi port, strengthen the maritime search and rescue for vessels under the Iranian flag, and increase the level of services requested by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Bazrpash also voices Iran’s readiness in welcoming Turkmen investors in the ports at the north and south of Iran.

Other issues emphasized in this meeting included the strengthening of air cooperation between the two countries and resolving visa-related barriers.

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“Gas swap from Turkmenistan has doubled,” Hossein-Ali Mohammad-Hosseini said at a panel on investment opportunities in NIGC, adding Iran is in talks with Turkmenistan to import gas.

Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan signed a gas swap deal for up to 2 billion cubic meters per year in 2021.

Iran was the third-largest gas producer in the world after the United States and Russia in last Iranian calendar year (ended March, 20, 2023), he stated, adding Iran produced 291 billion cubic meters of gas and injected 271 billion cubic meters of sweet gas to its national gas network.

The National Iranian Gas Company invested over 400,000 billion rials last Iranian calendar year, which will increase to 550,000 billion rials this year (to end March 19, 2023).

Iran’s gas industry needs about 40 billion dollars in investment by the end of the Seventh Development Plan, he said, adding 20 billion dollars are expected to be invested by private sector.

Hosseini also said that natural gas transmission via Iran’s national network is expected to reach 280 billion cubic meters in the current Iranian calendar year 1402 (began on March 21).

Speaking on the sidelines of the 27th Iran International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition (Iran Oil Show 2023), Hosseini said the volume of gas transmitted through the country’s network increased by 2.2 percent in the previous year.

As IRNA reported, the official said NIGTC delivers natural gas to 2,200 pressure reduction stations, cities, and large industries such as petrochemicals and power plants.

“Gas is also stored at Shourijeh and Sarajeh storage facilities and injected into oil wells at three points,” he added.

Hosseini noted that NIGTC operates the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC)’s largest physical asset which is the country’s national gas network, saying: “In total, there are 39,000 kilometers of high-pressure gas transmission lines, 90 pressure reduction stations, 61 operating yards and 330 compressors operating under NIGTC across the country.”

According to the official, the company also managed to complete 107 cases of major overhauls last year, and while conducting smart tracking on 3,000 kilometers of pipelines, 1100 cases of small repairs and 48,000 kilometers of leak detection were also carried out on the facilities and lines operated by the NIGTC.

Operating the largest natural gas network in West Asia, NIGC has been continuously expanding this network into the country’s most remote areas so that currently over 98 percent of the urban population, as well as 90 percent of the country’s rural population, have access to natural gas through this huge network.

IGTC, as the NIGC’s subsidiary in charge of the management, maintenance, and operation of the country’s national gas network, has been working around the clock to ensure a safe, secure, and sustained supply of natural gas throughout the country all year long, especially during the cold seasons.

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