Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Aug. 12
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
The Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a meeting with the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Pakistan Murad Ashraf Janjua, the Foreign Ministry said on Aug. 12.
During the meeting, the diplomat noted the strategic role of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and expressed full commitment to the further cooperation with Turkmenistan.
“Having noted the dynamic development of political and diplomatic cooperation, the two sides discussed issues concerning the forthcoming meeting of the intergovernmental commission, to be held in Ashgabat,” reads the Foreign Ministry’s message.
The sides mulled the possibilities of developing cooperation in economy, trade, culture and education. The Pakistani envoy pointed out the active cooperation between the two countries, which is based on common history, culture and traditions of the two peoples.
TAPI will make it possible to deliver gas from Turkmenistan, which ranks fourth in the world for its gas reserves, to large and promising markets of South and Southeast Asia. The pipeline will run from Galkynysh – the largest gas field in Turkmenistan – through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar, and finally reach the Fazilka settlement located near the India-Pakistan border.
Annual capacity of the gas pipeline will reach 33 billion cubic meters. Total length of the TAPI pipeline will be 1,814 kilometers. The project's preliminary cost is estimated at $10 billion.