Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Iran Drops Price of Natural Gas to Turkey

Turkey and Iran are opposed to the establishment of a Kurdish state or, at the least, a largely autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq as sought by Israel.
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Both Turkey and Iran have launched separate operations against the Kurdish Workers' Party or (PKK) but deny an alliance.
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If Turkey decides to form an allegiance with Iran this could have major implications for Bush’s Greater Middle East agenda. The GME includes all Arab countries but also Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and Israel. The largest part of the GME population is Sunni and Shiite,

-Am


Iran Drops Price of Natural Gas to Turkey

07.10.2004 Saturday


Iran announced that it would drop the price of natural gas that it sells to Turkey on the condition that Turkey helps facilitate the transportion of Iranian gas to Europe. The discount was agreed upon last week in Turkey during meetings with Iranian Oil Minister Bijen Namdar Zengene.

Iran National Gas Exports Manager Rukniddin Jawadi disclosed that Turkey had been asking for a decrease in the prices for a long time. Jawadi acknowledged the fact that the new gas reserves found in southern Iran played an important role in the price reduction, although there are still strings attached. Jawadi pointed out that the new prices would only be put into effect if Turkey agreed to help Iran export gas to Europe.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to go to Iran in late July. It is reported that the decrease of the gas price and the transportation of Iranian gas via Turkey would be among the main topics to be discussed by Erdogan and Iranian officials.



07.10.2004
Cihan
Tehran

http://www.zaman.org/?bl=economy&alt=&trh=20040710&hn=10245