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Iran-Turkey sign MoU on Gas Development
By The Media Line news agency
Iranian oil minister, Gholamhossein Nozari, and Turkish energy minister, Hilmi Guler, on Monday signed an agreement to expand the cooperation between two countries in developing the Southern Pars gas field in Iran during a ceremony in Tehran, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency's (IRNA) website.
The memorandum of understanding calls for the development of three additional phases of the field, with each phase designed to produce 875 million cubic feet (25 million cubic meters) of gas. The total production of the field once fully developed is estimated to be 1,225 billion cubic feet. Half of the output is designated to go to Turkey via a 1,110 mile-long pipeline that will be constructed in tandem with the development of the field.
Turkey already imports 353 billion cf of gas from a field in northern Iran which itself imports gas from Turkmenistan to the north of Iran.
The initial deal was signed in 2007 and drew heavy criticism from Washington, which is trying to isolate Tehran over the latter's nuclear program, and has urged all its allies, among them close regional ally and North Atlantic Treaty Organization member Turkey, to cut their business ties with Iran.
The U.S. claims that Iran is using its nuclear program to produce the materials needed for nuclear weapons construction, while Iran claims the program is only intended to produce electricity.
Meanwhile, IRNA and the Turkish news agency Llhas signed an agreement on professional cooperation that includes exchange of news, film and photos. The two agencies will also support each other's offices in their countries and hold short-term educational courses.
Managing director of IRNA, Jafar Behdad, was quoted on IRNA's website as saying, "At a time when the Islamic world and Muslims, as well as their beliefs, are subject to political and media invasion by bullying powers, media in Muslim countries should take initiatives to promote their capabilities."
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