Head of dispatching operations at the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Mohammad Reza Joulaei on Sunday unveiled new plans to ensure a steady supply of gas and boost exports to Turkey within months.

Following the recent meeting between the NIGC officials with Botas, Turkey’s state oil and gas company, Joulaei said that Tehran and Ankara have reached a new agreement on gas export contract.

Referring to the new agreement, he noted that all technical, operational and executive activities of gas export to Turkey in the next six months will be done with the coordination of both sides.

Accordingly, this coordination includes “operational and repairing plans, Cathodic protection – a technique used to control the corrosion of a metal surface by making it the cathode of an electrochemical cell, and coating of lines between Iran and Turkey and renovation of Bazargan gas station and other matters related to gas export to Turkey”, the official added.

Turkey relies on Iran for nearly 9 billion cubic meters per year of its natural gas demand. Ankara has indicated it will be willing to increase imports from Iran if the two countries can reach a sustainable framework on price and capacity issues.

Iran has been supplying around 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year to Turkey under a 25-year agreement that was signed in 2001.

Back in August, the CEO of the NIGC Majid Chegeni announced the country’s gas export revenue rose by 64% in the first year since President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi took office in September 2021.

The administration of President Rayessi has made ties with neighbors a top priority of its foreign policy.

In late June, Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi reiterated that President Rayeesi’s foreign policy is basically built on good neighborliness. He stated that Tehran is willing to further expand relations and cooperation with its neighbors despite enemies’ opposition.

Iran has significantly expanded bilateral cooperations with its neighbors in recent months, especially in trade, commerce and science.