The agreement that had been supported by the Presidents of the three Caspian countries during the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and signed on November 30, 2021, on a natural gas swap deal for up to two billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas, came into effect as of January 1, 2022.
          According to this deal, Iran will receive gas from Turkmenistan and deliver an equivalent amount minus the swap fee to Azerbaijan at the Astara border. The gas that Iran will receive from Turkmenistan will meet the needs of the northern provinces of the country.
          In this regard, experts noted that the implementation of this deal would encourage other countries in the region to hold similar deals and to use the Islamic Republic’s capacities in this field.
          it should be mentioned that Iran could play a crucial role in transferring gas from east to west of Iran and to the neighboring countries such as Azerbaijan, depending on its capabilities as the largest high-pressure gas pipeline network after Russia. At the same time, this deal represents a huge step for Iran to ensure stable gas supply to the country`s northeastern regions that are far from the sources of natural gas resources in the country.