BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 16
By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:
Turkmenistan and Pakistan discussed partnership in the energy sector and in the field of communications, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
The discussions were held during the meeting of newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Pakistan to Turkmenistan Irfan Ahmed with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov.
The parties stressed the importance of the implementation of the project of the transnational gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) and the construction of power transmission lines and fiber-optic communication along the route Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan.
The high level of interaction on the platform of regional and international structures, in particular the UN, the Organization for Economic Cooperation, and others were highlighted.
The parties noted the positive dynamics of the development of bilateral relations in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian fields. the strengthening of cooperation between Turkmenistan and Pakistan.
During the meeting, the newly appointed ambassador of Pakistan presented the Turkmen side with copies of his credentials.
As reported, Pakistan and Turkmenistan will continue to increase bilateral cooperation and interaction in various fields. Over the years of a long-term partnership, the countries have reached new frontiers in expanding cooperation.
Turkmenistan and Pakistan cooperate in a number of areas, in particular in the oil and gas sector. One of the main indicators of cooperation between the countries in the oil and gas sector is the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.
The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI), also known as Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline, is a natural gas pipeline being developed by the Galkynysh – TAPI Pipeline Company Limited with the participation of the Asian Development Bank.
The pipeline will transport natural gas from the Galkynysh Gas Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. Construction on the project started in Turkmenistan on December 13, 2015.
The length of the Turkmen section of the TAPI pipeline, the construction of which was launched in December 2015, will be 205 kilometers (the main operations are carried out on the 120th kilometer). The pipeline will pass through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar (816 kilometers), through the cities of Quetta and Multan across Pakistani territory (819 kilometers), and reach the city of Fazilka in India.
The pipeline’s design capacity is planned to be 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year, and the project’s cost - about $8 billion.
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