Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Nov. 17 / Trend H. Hasanov /
Turkmenistan hopes that the implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline will be launched soon, the Russian Energy Ministry said.
A meeting was held between Deputy Energy Minister Yuri Sentyurin and Turkmen Minister of Oil and Gas and Mineral Resources Bairamgeldy Nedirov in Ashgabat.
The press release says that Nedirov expressed interest in Russian companies' active involvement in the Turkmen investment and innovation projects.
One of the discussed topics was the implementation of infrastructure projects in Turkmenistan, in particular the TAPI project.
Nedirov informed about the course of the project implementation. In particular, he stressed that basic details will be completed by late 2011. Afterwards, the project will be ready for implementation with the participation of interested companies within the consortium, the information said.
The joint declaration on the gas-sale-purchase agreement has been recently signed at the highest level after the talks between Turkmenistan and Pakistan in Islamabad.
The signing took place within President Berdimuhamedov's visit to Islamabad.
This project is actively promoted by the Asian Development Bank. It financed the preparation for its technical and economic feasibility.
At this stage, the parties, interested in the project, also agree on the security of transit. They settle the issue of funding.
The TAPI's length can hit more than 1,700 km, its design capacity - 33 bcm of natural gas per year. The cost is estimated at $7-8 billion.
The Russian Energy Ministry also reported that Ashgabat has recently discussed the intensification of cooperation between Russia and Turkmenistan in the oil and gas sector, in particular a number of organizational issues related to the upcoming meeting of experts from both countries.
The negotiators have set the date for meetings of experts and the range of issues. It is the first decade of December, and. These issues include the further interaction of the countries in the oil and gas sector, as well as development of infrastructure projects.