Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, May 29 / Trend, H. Hasanov /
A Turkmen delegation recently visited Kabul. It discussed priority issues of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the United Nations, including the assistance rendered to Afghanistan with the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Afghanistan Jan Kubis, the local press said on Tuesday.
Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper stressed that the matter rested in joint effort to establish peace and stability on Afghan lands. The Turkmen delegation was led by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov.
Turkmen TV quoted President Berdimuhamedov that Turkmenistan stands for resolution of the crisis in Afghanistan by peaceful, political and diplomatic methods and by taking constructive initiatives to develop balanced solutions for the Afghan problem.
He added that Neutral Turkmenistan will continue taking an active part in the international community's efforts aimed at establishing the lasting peace and stability in the neighboring country.
Turkmenistan has a long border with Afghanistan. Ashgabat has repeatedly expressed the country's readiness to deliver the political space to hold the high level international meeting on Afghanistan and intra-Afghan talks under the UN aegis.
An international working meeting on promoting Afghanistan's development with the participation of neighboring countries, international organizations and potential countries-donors was held in Ashgabat in early 2013.
Ashgabat previously announced a number of initiatives on socio-economic revival of the neighboring country that have been positively assessed by the UN and the OSCE.
In particular, work is underway on the Atamyrat-Imamnazar-Akina-Andhoi (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan) railway.
Ashgabat proposed the project which will increase the export volume of Turkmen electricity to Afghanistan five-fold. At present, it is supplied at a preferential rate of an annual volume of 325 million kilowatt hours.
The largest project is the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline. The formation of an international consortium is underway. Ashgabat believes that besides economic problems, the construction of the gas pipeline will solve a number of important social and humanitarian issues in the region, including those associated with the creation of new jobs.