Tehran and Ashgabat will sign a barter trade agreement during Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's forthcoming visit to Turkmenistan, Hashemi Golpayegani said on Wednesday.
He added that the agreement will allow Iran to export various products to its Northeastern neighbor in return for importing gas from Turkmenistan.
Iran attaches great importance to its strategic ties with Turkmenistan due to the country's strategic position in the Central Asia.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkmenistan signed a 25-year gas trade contract in 1997 under which a 200 kilometers pipeline was constructed for gas imports from the neighboring country.
On 27th November a high ranking oil delegation headed by Iranian minister of petroleum, Rostam Qassemi, visited Turkmenistan to talk on energy exchange, rising gas import from Turkmenistan and other issues including exporting Iranian made oil industry equipment to the neighboring country.
Iran and Turkmenistan sit atop the second and fourth largest gas reserves in the world.
