Iran has provided more details on a small contract that it has sealed to export natural gas to Georgia � a project that could expand the energy reach of the Islamic Republic in Central Asia.�

Alireza Kameli, the managing director of the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC), has been quoted by the media as saying that Iran�s deal has been signed with the Georgian International Energy Corporation (GIEC) for what he described as a trial export run.

Kameli has added that the volume of gas which will be exported to Georgia will be 40 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) and that the export duration will be four months.

Nevertheless, he has emphasized that it will still require the authorization of the Armenian government to be finalized, Shana reported.

Iran�s media quoted the country�s Petroleum Minister Bijan Zanganeh as saying last week that a basic agreement has been sealed with Georgia to export natural gas to the country.� Zanganeh added that the planned exports will be carried out through Armenia.

He said Iran plans to conduct a trial export of gas to Georgia through Armenia within the next few months.� If the trial proves successful, Iran will finalize the agreement to export gas to Georgia, Iran's petroleum minister added.

However, Georgia�s Deputy Energy Minister Mariam Valishvili has told Azerbaijan�s Trend news agency that Tbilisi has no information on the conclusion of contracts for the import of Iranian gas to the country.

�Theoretically, private companies can sign such a contract � The Georgian legislation does not forbid it. However, in this case, these contracts must be submitted to the Georgian government for registration. But the government did not obtain such contracts,� Valishvili said.

�We have no idea about the volumes, companies which signed a contract and the area from which the gas will be supplied,� she said.

By Press TV