Iranian Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi has left for Turkey for energy talks, including Iran’s natural gas transit to Europe via Turkey.

According to Iranian Oil Ministry’s website SHANA, Mirkazemi and his Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz will discuss cooperation in oil, gas and petrochemicals sector.

The ministers will also discuss Turkey’s investment in the Iranian giant South Pars gas field.

In October 2009, during Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Tehran, the two countries signed memorandums of understanding on oil and gas cooperation and transferring Iran’s gas to European markets through Turkey.

Iran currently exports 25 million cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey per day and the figure could be increased to 30 million cubic meters a day.

Tehran-Ankara ties have strengthened following pro-diplomacy efforts aimed finding a peaceful solution to the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program.

On May 17, Iran, Turkey and Brazil, signed a joint nuclear fuel swap declaration under which Tehran agrees to exchange 1,200 kg of it low-enriched uranium on Turkish soil for fuel for a medical research reactor.

Mirkazemi’s visit comes amid US-sponsored UN Security Council and unilateral sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program.

The sanctions, a number of which target Iran’s oil and gas industry, are an integral part of efforts aimed at pressuring Iran into abandoning its civilian nuclear program, amid Israeli-led charges that Tehran is harboring a military agenda.

On Wednesday, Iran’s OPEC governor told Reuters that the new sanctions would prove ineffective, noting that Iran would counter the sanctions by reducing the government subsidies on fuel as well as using a flexible trade currency.

Iran argues that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) it has the right to peaceful nuclear technology for civilian electricity generation and medical research.