Iran put pressure on Turkey to implement an already-established verbal agreement that involves cooperation between the two neighboring countries in the area of oil and gas exploration and transfer of Turkmenistan's gas via the Iranian pipeline.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who paid a surprise one-day visit to Turkey ahead of a regional tour, expressed Tehran's willingness to go ahead with the energy deal during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gül, in Ankara on Tuesday.
In late February, Ankara and Tehran verbally agreed to cooperate in the field of energy during a visit by Mottaki to Turkey. One of the planned agreements provides the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) with the opportunity to explore oil and natural gas in Iran, an offer Tehran has rejected for more than a decade, while the second is about the transfer of Turkmen natural gas via Iranian territory, a move that is criticized by Washington which is against bypassing the Caspian in terms of gas transfer.
The United States, by law, opposes any investments by third countries in Iran in the field of energy. US Ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson publicly criticized the Turkish government's tendency to cooperate with Iran.
Despite the verbal agreement, Turkish and Iranian officials have not yet discussed the details of their cooperation. During the meeting in Ankara, the Iranian minister urged Ankara to implement the agreement.
To the displeasure of the United States, the verbal agreement between Ankara and Tehran involves the transfer of the Turkmen gas through the Iranian pipeline, which will help both Turkmen and Iranian gas to be transferred to Turkey and finally to Europe. But Washington wants Turkmenistan gas to be transported through pipes under the Caspian, via Azerbaijan and Turkey and eventually to Europe.
From Turkey's perspective, both the Caspian Sea-Azerbaijan and the Iranian route can be utilized at the same time. Moreover, when one considers the “political distance” between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, the Turkmenistan-Iran route becomes more feasible.
(Turkish Daily News, 19/04/2007)