Azerbaijan and Iran will increase cooperation in transport, energy fields

Azerbaijan and Iran will increase cooperation in transport, energy and investments in the coming years, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday at a press conference in Baku.

According to him, in-depth talks with President Ilham Aliyev were held in Baku. "Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan are higher than the ratio of two neighboring and friendly countries,  it is relations between the two fraternal nations. Nobody can interrupt our relationship", Ahmadinejad said.

According to State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan, in Jan.-Sept. 2010, the trade turnover with Iran totaled $167.26 million, of which 76.87 million accounted for imports from Iran, and 90.39 million for export to this country.

Azerbaijan and Iran are currently cooperating particularly in the gas sector, exchanging electricity.

Azerbaijan and Iran are connected with the Gazi-Magomed-Astara-Bind-Biand gas pipeline, 1,474.5-kilometers long. Its capacity was 10 billion cubic meters a year, but now it is lower. This route is a branch of the Gazakh-Astara-Iran pipeline commissioned in 1971. Three compressor stations - Gazi-Magomed, Aghdash and Gazakh were built.

SOCAR is currently constructing a new compressor station in Astara region, which will increase gas transportation to Iran by the end of the year.

Now Azerbaijani gas is supplied to Iran in order to deliver this fuel to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR). Expansion of the station in Astara will fully provide gas to NAR. In case of free volumes, the SOCAR will be able to sell excess gas to Iran. Iran is interested in purchasing roughly 5 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas per year.


/Trend/