Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Feb. 23 /Trend H. Hasanov /
Turkmenistan initiates holding another meeting of the technical working group in near future as part of TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline project's implementation, the Turkmen government said on Saturday.
The agenda and venue of the meeting are currently being considered.
It is expected that the agenda will include organizational, legal and technical issues for creation of a specialized company. This issue was discussed at a government meeting in Ashgabat. It was noted that this structure will address a number of specific issues related to the practical implementation of the TAPI project.
"As of today, all the participating countries have agreed on the creation of such company," the statement said.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has emphasized the particular importance of the TAPI project.
He said construction of this transnational gas pipeline in addition to purely economic benefits will allow the participating countries to solve a number of pressing social and humanitarian problems, including those related to creation of new jobs, formation of necessary transport, communications and social infrastructure.
The basic document for the promotion of TAPI project is the Ashgabat interstate agreement of the state parties on the commencement of the practical implementation of the TAPI project signed in late 2010. The instability in transit Afghanistan remains a serious obstacle, but Kabul said the country will ensure the safety of the route.
In May 2012, the Turkmen government has entered into an agreement for the sale of natural gas with India's GAIL ltd. A memorandum of understanding was signed with Afghanistan.
Negotiations on formation of consortium and financial packages are being held under the auspices of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Turkmen side conducted several international road shows for TAPI in September 2012 with the participation of the Asian Development Bank.
The design capacity of the TAPI is 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. The estimated length reaches 1735 kilometers. It is expected that the pipeline will extend from the largest gas field in Turkmenistan 'Galkhynysh' through Afghan cities of Herat and Kandagar to Fazilka settlement on Pakistani-Indian border.