Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Jan. 19 / Trend H. Hasanov /
Ashgabat will host a working meeting to promote Afghanistan's development, to be held on January 24, an official Turkmen source said today.
The agenda includes the action plan prepared by the Turkmen side within the confidence-building measures "Regional maintenance systems" to help Afghanistan. The corresponding decree was signed by Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
Ashgabat has previously made a number of international initiatives for social and economic regeneration of the neighboring country, which were positively evaluated by the UN, the OSCE, the EU and the U.S. administration.
Neutral Turkmenistan has a long border with Afghanistan.
Ashgabat's principled position on this issue is that all decisions must be made using only peaceful diplomatic methods and tools, as well as implementation of infrastructure regional projects.
In particular, Turkmenistan is operating to create the Atamyrat Imamnazar-Akina-Andkhoy (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan) railway, which can be a significant element in the transport area of the Eurasian continent.
Turkmenistan has started implementing a major project in the field of energy infrastructure, which will allow increasing the export volume of Turkmen electricity to Afghanistan five-fold. At present, it is supplied at a preferential rate in an annual volume of 325 million kilowatt-hours.
The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) transnational gas pipeline construction project is among other significant initiatives. Its practical implementation began in December 2010 by signing the agreement in Ashgabat at a high level.
At present, an international consortium is being formed. The Turkmen side held several international road shows with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in September.
Experts stressed that the situation in Afghanistan is the major obstacle for the TAPI implementation. Ashgabat announced the country's readiness to give its political area for holding an international high-level meeting under UN aegis and intra-Afghan talks on Afghanistan.