Turkey, Iran to hold energy talks in one month
Washington, 18 August (IranVNC)—A Turkish delegation will travel to Iran next month for talks on energy cooperation in hopes to strike a multi-billion-dollar energy accord, Turkey’s Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said today.
By: IranVNC
Published: Monday, August 18, 2008
15:20GMT—11:20AM/EST
TURKEY – IRAN – ENERGY
Washington, 18 August (IranVNC)—A Turkish delegation will travel to Iran next month for talks on energy cooperation in hopes to strike a multi-billion-dollar energy accord, Turkey’s Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said today.
“We will hold important talks with Iran within one month. We hope that the work which we launched before will produce a result during this period,” Reuters quoted Guler as saying today in a news conference.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will accompany the delegation to Iran for next month’s talks, Guler said.
His remarks came after the two sides failed to sign the $3.5 billion agreement during a two-day visit by Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Istanbul last week.
The deal, part of a joint initiative launched last year, would expand Iran’s natural gas exports to Turkey and set rates for the transport of gas from Turkmenistan through Iran.
After Russia, Iran is Turkey’s largest provider of gas. But Western countries, which suspect Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at building a nuclear weapon, have pressed Turkey to curb its cooperation with the Islamic Republic.
Guler denied that Western pressure has influenced the delay in signing the energy deal, saying: “We are an independent country.”
“Here we eye our country’s interests… We have to make investments for the [energy] supply security of Turkey,” the Turkish daily, Hurriet, quoted Guler as adding.
Sources: Reuters, Hurriet in English
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