Practical work on TAPI project to begin in March

KABUL (Pajhwok): Acting Afghan foreign minister and Turkmen prime minister have discussed bilateral political, diplomatic and economic relations, security co-operation, the launch of TAPI, TAP and railway projects.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that Acting Foreign Minister Mulavi Amir Khan Mottaqi traveled to Ashgabat at the invitation of Turkmenistan and met with Deputy Prime Minister Rashid Muradov and other Turkmen officials on Saturday.

The meeting focused on bilateral political, diplomatic and economic relations, security cooperation, the launch of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) power and railway projects between the two countries.

The pipeline, which was expected to become operational in 2021, is designed to transport 33 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year.

Afghanistan is expected to purchase 16 percent, or about 5.11bcm, of the gas and will receive $400m a year in transit fee for the pipeline.

The pipeline will transport gas from the Galkynysh gas field in Turkmenistan to energy-deficient Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

The statement said that the two sides agreed that a meeting of technical teams of the two countries will be held on January 22 in Kabul and the work on electricity, TAPI and railway projects will be inaugurated in March 2022.

The Turkmen delegation promised to allow dozens of Afghan students on scholarship to Turkmenistan who were stranded in Kabul due to Covid-19 limitations to travel to the country gradually as early as March.

Turkmen officials also promised that the country will award scholarships to Afghan students in fields of oil, gas, railway and other technical areas.

Mds/ma