Azernews.Az

By Aynur Karimova

The construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline was high on the agenda of talks held on May 20 between Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, who was on an official visit to Ashgabat.

Speaking at the briefing dedicated to the results of the Turkmen-Pakistani high-level talks, Berdymukhamedov said today that the implementation of large international energy projects, in particular TAPI, gave gained significant importance.

He noted this project is of great importance in terms of Turkmenistan and Pakistan's mutual efforts to help neighboring Afghanistan in promoting peace and provide the Afghan nation some degreee of social and economic assistance.

The Pakistani official, for his part, said the two countries reached an agreement to activate works towards the realization of TAPI, an international energy project.

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.

TAPI has already been approved by a number of countries, including Russia and the U.S., as well as international financial institutions, including the Asian Development Bank.

Turkmenistan decided to start the construction of the TAPI project in 2015. According to the Turkmen side, the construction of this gas pipeline may continue for 3.5-4 years.

Experts believe that TAPI is not only a regional project envisaging the transportation of Turkmen gas, but also a global one.

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 stability of Afghanistan, and its implementation could contribute to the rehabilitation process of the post-war country. It will also create more job opportunities and provide Afghanistan with a guaranteed income from the transit.

The implementation of this historic project will play an important role in promoting peace and expanding economic cooperation in the whole Asian region as well.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

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