Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Nov. 10
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
A Turkmen delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov made a working visit to Afghanistan, the Turkmen government said in a message Nov. 10.
During a meeting with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani the sides discussed implementation of projects for construction of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, as well as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) power line and the railway.
In accordance with the agreements reached earlier, issues related to the implementation of humanitarian and economically beneficial projects were considered, the message said.
During the visit, Turkmen-Afghan foreign ministerial consultations and a meeting of the joint commission on security cooperation were held.
The construction of the pipeline began in December 2015.
The possible costs of the TAPI project vary within $8-10 billion.
The consortium, with the participation of the Asian development Bank (ADB), continues active negotiations with all interested parties. Various options of participation in the project, such as participation in the company's share, project financing, financing through international development banks and with the help of export credit agencies from around the world are being examined.
As the leader of TAPI Pipeline company Limited, Turkmengas State Concern, which has a controlling stake, acts as the main financier and project manager.
The consortium also includes the Afghanistan Gas Corporation, Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited and Indian GAIL.
The total length of the pipeline, with a capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year will be 1,840 kilometers. The fuel will be supplied from the Galkynysh gas field in Turkmenistan, the second largest in the world.