Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, September 7 / Trend H. Hasanov /
Countries participating in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, have confirmed their participation in a presidential summit to be held in Ashgabat in December, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov has said.
The issue was discussed at the most recent meeting of the Turkmen government where it was also agreed that a meeting of regional fuel and energy ministers will be held in September to prepare for the summit.
"The actions taken by Turkmenistan to accelerate the practical implementation of the TAPI gas pipeline project have found broad support among the peoples and governments of the participating countries of this major international project," Berdimuhammedov said.
The Turkmen president said that implementation of the project is economically profitable for all sides including Turkmenistan, as a gas supplier, and Afghanistan, Pakistan and India as customers that lack their own energy resources.
The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry of Afghanistan, Mohammad Sharif Sharifi, who has also stressed the importance of TAPI, recently paid a working visit to Ashgabat.
According to local media, he noted that the project will make a major contribution toward maintaining and consolidating political and socio-economic stability throughout the region. It will have a special significance as a factor for peace-building in Afghanistan.
A framework agreement was signed between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to implement the TAPI pipeline in Kabul in late August. According to preliminary calculations, its design capacity is up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Its cost is estimated at $3.3 billion.