In connection with the recent press statements by the head of the National Iranian Gas Company, Hamid Reza Araghi on Turkmen natural gas supplies and the problems with the ‘financial differences’, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry issued a statement.
The statement noted that the Turkmen side, strictly fulfilling its obligations under the gas purchase-sale contract, over the years provided its uninterrupted supply to Iran.
In contrast, the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), for a long period violating the principle of ‘take or pay’, did not take the appropriate amounts of Turkmen gas. In addition, as a result of non-compliance of NIGC with its financial obligations under the contract, to date, the company has got an imposing debt to the State Concern Turkmengaz.
As previously reported, these circumstances significantly affect the financial and economic situation of Turkmengaz and therefore objectively reduce its manufacturing activities, so the Turkmen gas company was forced to restrict the supply of gas to Iran.