Afghanistan, Turkmenistan talk TAPI project

KABUL (Pajhwok): The acting minister of mines and petroleum and the TAPI project executive director have discussed important issue related to the mega gas pipeline scheme.

Bothe sides talked about the importance of TAPI project, land acquisition, TAPI’s technical team’s trip from Turkmenistan to Kabul and the resumption of the project’s works from western Herat province.

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said in a statement Shahabuddin Delawar met Hoja Ovezov, the Turkmen ambassador in Kabul and Murad Amanov, the executive director of TAPI project.

They discussed issues such as the importance of the project, land acquisition, a Turkmen technical team’s trip to Kabul and the launch of work on the gas pipeline in Herat province.

The Turkmen ambassador said: “The ground has been paved for the implementation of the TAPI project and we are committed to launching work on it as soon as possible.”

The acting mines and petroleum minister called the project beneficial not only for Afghanistan, but for all the countries involved, saying all Afghans were behind the pipeline.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) was ready for all possible cooperation on the early execution of the project, Delawar added.

The agreement on the Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) gas pipeline project was signed in December 2011.

Starting from Daulatabad in Turkmenistan, the 1,814-kilometre pipeline will pass through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India. At least 816 kilometers of the pipeline will pass through Herat, Farah, Nimroz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan.

Afghan officials previously estimated investments in the long-delayed project at 8-11 billion dollars.

aw/mud