Iraq’s Minister of Electricity, Ziyad Ali Fadel, arrived in Turkmenistan on Sunday for high-level talks aimed at fast-tracking a vital natural gas supply agreement between the two countries.

According to a statement from the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, the visit is intended to "accelerate the fulfillment of a gas supply contract with Iraq," which was initially outlined in a memorandum of understanding signed in 2023.

The gas import deal is critical to Iraq’s energy infrastructure, as the country’s power plants heavily rely on external supplies. Currently, gas imported from Iran provides about one-third of Iraq’s electricity needs.

Fadel emphasized earlier that "Iraq will receive gas from Turkmenistan via the pipeline network in Iran," which connects to Iraq and will serve as the transit route for the fuel destined for Iraqi power plants.

The ministry added that while Iraq has completed all the technical and logistical preparations to begin importing Turkmen gas as early as January 2024, "the main delay is due to the need for a comprehensive agreement with Iran regarding the transportation mechanism."

The agreement, once activated, will allow the delivery of Turkmen gas to Iraq for a period of five years through a swap arrangement involving Iran.

Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry had previously confirmed that the country plans to sell Iraq 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. The gas will be moved through an existing pipeline that links Turkmenistan to Iran, which shares a border with Iraq.