Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Pakistani companies are interested in participating in the exploration and production of Turkmenistan's hydrocarbon resources.

These remarks were made by Pakistan's Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources Jam Kamal Khan during his visit to Turkmenistan last week, Trend Agency reported.

The Turkmen side offered the experts of the two countries to discuss the possibility of establishing joint ventures or signing production-sharing agreements.

Also, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project was among the discussed issues.

The parties discussed the issues of mutual interest, including progress on TAPI gas pipeline project and explored the possibilities of importing different forms of energy from Turkmenistan, in particular LPG.

Jam Kamal Khan also made a speech at the international gas congress in Turkmenistan, and said the economies of Pakistan and Turkmenistan complement each other.

"Turkmenistan can get access to open sea through Gawadar port for export of its crude oil and natural gas and Pakistan can import natural gas and crude oil from Turkmenistan to meet the energy shortage in the country," he said.

Jam Kamal Khan stressed on the need for early implementation of the TAPI project, which is vital for the economic development of the region in general and Pakistan in particular.

The TAPI project with the proposed capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year will extend from Galkynysh field in Turkmenistan through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar to its final point at a settlement on the Pakistani-Indian border.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) serves as a transactional advisor on TAPI gas pipeline project. Its main task is to develop the project company TAPI Ltd., as well as to search for the leader of the consortium to implement one of the largest energy projects in the vast Asian space.

Experts believe that TAPI is not only a regional project envisaging the transportation of Turkmen gas, but also a global project. The implementation of the project will strengthen Turkmenistan's independence, and its gas supplies to world markets will increase significantly.

The project is an opportunity to contribute to the stabilization of Afghanistan, and its implementation could contribute to the rehabilitation process in the post-war country as it will create job opportunities and provide Afghanistan with guaranteed income from the transit.