NIGC, Turkey’s Botas Explore Future of 2001 Gas Contract

The National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) has started negotiations with Botas, Turkey's state oil and gas company, to renew a natural gas contract that expires in 2026, the deputy oil minister for international affairs said.
“Securing a long-term deal will not be as easy as the one signed in 2001 because now Ankara has a larger range of suppliers to choose from. Turkey is emerging as a more adept gas consumer and negotiator,” Amirhossein Zamaninia was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The two companies were supposed to start talks on the new contract in 2020, but that was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Given the nature of long-term international agreements, such talks normally are interconnected with foreign policy issues and geopolitical considerations, he said.