Azerbaijan and Iran signed a memorandum on energy and transport
cooperation in Baku on Wednesday, AzerTag reports.
After an extended session between the governments of Azerbaijan and
Iran the ministers of foreign affairs of the two countries, Elmar
Mammadyarov and Manuchehr Mottaki, signed the memorandum.
According to the Azerbaijani State Statistics Agency, in
January-September 2010, trade turnover between the two countries
reached $167.26 million, $76.87 million was imports from Iran, $90.39
million - exports. Azerbaijan and Iran are cooperating in the gas
sphere and the exchange of electricity.
The two countries are connected by the Gazi-Magomed-Astara-Bind-Biand
gas pipeline. The pipeline is 1475.5 kilometres long, 296.5 kilometres
run through Azerbaijan. It is a branch of the Gazakh-Astara-Iran
pipeline, launched in 1971. There are three gas compression stations:
in Gazi-Magomed, Agdash and Gazakh. The pipeline diameter is 1200mm.
SOCAR (the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic) is currently
constructing a new compression station in Astarin Region, which will
increase gas transport to Iran.
Azerbaijani gas is transported to Iran for the Nakhchyvan Autonomous
Republic. Expansion of the Astara station will fully cover demands for
gas in the republic. Gas surpluses may be sold to Iran. The Iranian
side has expressed a readiness to buy up to 5 billion cubic meters of
Azerbaijani gas annually.
