The opening ceremony was attended by President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and his Azeri counterpart Elham Aliyev as well as the Iranian oil minister and the energy minister of the autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan.
Speaking at the ceremony, Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh said, “The exchange or transfer of energy between Iran and Azerbaijan is of great political and economic importance since the Muslim people of Nakhichevan have been suffering from lack of natural gas for years and will now get to enjoy this natural gift with the help of Iran.”
The Azeri energy minister, Natiq Aliyev, for his part, said that the transfer of gas to Azerbaijan is a historical event and signifies the political and economic ties between the two countries.
“This gas, in our point of view, comes from Iran not Azerbaijan,” he observed.
Aliyev noted that Iran and Azerbaijan have rich oil and gas resources and that his country can use Iran’s good experiences regarding oil exploration.
Referring to President Ahmadinejad’s visit to Azerbaijan, he said, “The Iranian president’s presence in our country is not a step to begin (cooperation) but a step following previous efforts.”
Turning to another contract between Iran and Azerbaijan, Aliyev said, “According to this contract, Iran has agreed to participate in the development process of the Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan to deliver gas to Turkey and Europe.”
Also speaking in the ceremony was Rokneddin Javadi, the managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC).
The contract to export Iran’s natural gas to Azerbaijan is the fourth long-term contract the Islamic Republic has signed after the Islamic Revolution, Javadi said. The previous contracts were with Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Armenia, he added.
The natural gas swap deal between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan was signed by former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in August 2004.
As stipulated in the 25-year contract, Azerbaijan will deliver 80.5 million cubic meters of natural gas to Iran at the Astara border point each year from the date the pipeline is commissioned and Iran will deliver 85 percent of this amount to Nakhichevan at the Jolfa border point.
The amount of gas to be delivered to Iran from Azerbaijan will be staggered, that is, from 80 million cubic meters in 2005 to 402.5 million cubic meters in 2009-2024.
The amount of natural gas Iran will deliver to Nakhichevan will also be staggered, that is, from 70 million cubic meters in 2005 to 350 million cubic meters in 2009-2024.
HL/MA
END
MNA
Your Comment