Ashgabat, 2 November. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Ashgabat on a one-day visit, the IRNA agency said, and then, according to its report, met and held talks with Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov.
Araghchi came with a delegation that included representatives of the diplomatic, economic and parliamentary spheres. According to the agency, the talks are to cover bilateral relations, regional and international processes and ways to strengthen political and economic cooperation. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei added at a press conference in Tehran on Monday that the delegation includes representatives of the economic sector, in particular the oil industry, and that the talks will cover the economy, trade and energy. Baghaei called development of relations with neighbours Iran’s strategic priority and said the visit’s results could expand economic interaction between the two countries.
The ministers had already spoken a week before the visit. According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, on 26 October Araghchi and Meredov held a phone call and stressed the importance of political efforts and diplomatic consultations for lasting peace and lower tension in the region. Baghaei spoke of Iran’s good-neighbour policy towards Central Asia and the South Caucasus as well; he named Turkmenistan as a country with which relations are developing.
What it means: Iran brought to Ashgabat not only diplomats but also people from the oil industry. According to Tehran, the agenda includes the economy, trade and energy, not only the regional situation.
Background: In October we wrote that Turkmenistan would keep gas output at 80 billion cubic metres a year in 2027 as well. There were no reports of which agreements Iran and Turkmenistan would sign after the visit when our item was published.
