Turkmenistan to Resume Talks With Pakistan on TAPI Gas Pipeline

DID Press: Turkmenistan will resume serious and active negotiations with Pakistan in the coming months over the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov said.

Meredov said that following the visit of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan’s national leader, to Herat, emphasis was placed on the importance of continuing construction of the project toward Pakistan.

He added that the section of the pipeline from the Turkmenistan border to the Afghan city of Herat is expected to be completed by the end of this year, after which consultations with Pakistan on extending the project will accelerate.

The TAPI pipeline is designed to transport natural gas from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas field through Herat and Kandahar in Afghanistan, Quetta and Multan in Pakistan, to Fazilka in India.

So far, a 214-km section of the pipeline has been completed inside Turkmenistan.