Iran resumes gas exports to Turkey

Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said that Iran has resumed natural gas export to Turkey following the warming of weather, stressing that the interruption was due to cold weather and not differences between the two sides on price.
The official told that the price issue has not yet been resolved, adding that both sides are continuing talks on the matter.

Turkish Ambassador to Tehran Bozkurt Aran insisted that Ankara will continue to seek to lower the price of gas it imports from Iran via a pipeline, stressing that the country is facing an upsurge in demand for natural gas due to rapid industrialization.
"Our gas imports from Iran were interrupted several times this winter but the two countries settled the issue within the framework of bilateral economic cooperation," he said.

Turning to talks on gas exports to Pakistan, Zanganeh said negotiations between Tehran and Islamabad have not yet reached a concrete result, saying necessary measures are being taken in sequence.
"We will go to Pakistan to continue the talks," he said. Zanganeh further noted that no concrete decision has been made on the high-profile issue of merging the Ministries of oil and energy.
"Nothing has been determined and if this proposal is to become a bill by the government, it will also have to be ratified by the parliament," he said.

Zanganeh said that the ministries of oil and energy must inevitably merge, calling for this initiative to become a reality before President Khatami’s second term ends in June.
"It would be most logical to merge the two Ministries before the next government takes office," he told, adding that the incoming administration would have the best opportunity to organize the energy sector through the new Ministry. The Minister, however, declined to comment on the possible name of the new Ministry, stressing that the government is yet to make a decision on this.