Chairman of Iran Majlis (parliament) Energy Committee Massoud Mirkazemi said Friday that there is no change in Tehran’s policy for importing gas to Turkey and exports to this country will be soon resumed.
Earlier this week, a blast hit a pipeline carrying natural gas from Iran to Turkey in the northeastern Turkish province of Agri.
Turkish officials accused members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of blowing up the pipeline.
The governorate of the northeastern city of Agri said in a statement that PKK members “sabotaged the Dogubayazit-Van natural gas pipeline on Saturday ... forcing a disruption in the flow."
“The explosion that took place is the result of the political disputes in Turkey and the opposition groups commit these acts against Turkey. However, there is no disagreement between Tehran and Ankara,” Mirkazemi added.
He went on to say that explosions in Iran-Turkey gas pipeline, which occur several times a year, are due to political issues in Turkey and have nothing to do with the Islamic Republic.
“The people of Turkey need Iranian gas.... We are not looking to create problems for Turkish people, therefore, Iran’s gas will definitely go to Turkey and we will not pay attention to [viewpoints of] the US or European Union in Iran-Turkey relations,” he asserted.
This is not the first time that the gas flow from Iran to Turkey has been brought to a halt. In previous incidents, Turkish officials cited blasts caused by the PKK members, or technical problems as the main reasons for halt in gas flow.
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