Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, March 28 /Trend, H.Hasanov/
Presidents of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, who met yesterday in Tehran, discussed cooperation in the practical implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, Turkmen media reported on Monday.
"This project is designed to carry the well-being of the peoples of each country - its member states and the region as a whole, becoming a bridge of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation", - said.
"This project is designed to bring to the prosperity of the peoples of the participating states and the region as a whole, becoming a bridge of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation," the report said.
The heads of the neighboring states participated in the celebrations of Novruz Holiday in Iran.
According to information, Karzai expressed his full support for Turkmenistan's initiative, announced at the 65th session of UN General Assembly and related to global energy security as well as socio-economic revival of Afghanistan.
Experts note that the main obstacle to the implementation of the TAPI gas pipeline, on which an inter-governmental agreement of participating countries was signed in Ashgabat in December 2010, is the continued escalation of tension in Afghanistan.
Penspen has developed a feasibility study on the project. Its design capacity is 33 billion cubic meters of gas a year. The length of TAPI could reach 1,680 kilometers, with a design capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. The route is planned from the Turkmen Dovletabat fields through Herat and Kandahar (Afghanistan), via the districts of Quetta (Pakistan), to Fazlaka on the India-Pakistan border.
The Vatan newspaper writes that Karzai expressed deep appreciation to Turkmenistan for the continued assistance and full support for the Afghan people in building a peaceful life and socio-economic development.