Pakistan and Turkmenistan signed a joint implementation plan for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, to complete its feasibility study as soon as possible and speed up construction work. This was reported by The Express Tribune on Friday.
The document was signed in Islamabad by Pakistani Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik and Turkmengaz head Maksat Babayev. In accordance with the joint plan, the parties will create a supreme coordinating committee to accelerate the design of TAPI and monitor the project implementation.
At a meeting with Babayev, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif stressed that the pipeline will ensure energy security, economic growth and prosperity for Pakistan as well as the entire region. "The TAPI project stands for strategic cooperation between Pakistan and Turkmenistan in the energy sector," the prime minister said. - "Our countries have a strong desire to further develop a mutually beneficial partnership in the economy and trade."
Sharif suggested that Ashgabat explore the possibility of building a section of TAPI from the Pakistani border to the port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, which would allow Turkmen gas to be supplied to Europe and world markets from there.
TAPI is a 1,735 km long trunk gas pipeline under construction since 2015 with a design capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of fuel per year to supply gas from Turkmenistan's Galkynysh field to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The estimated cost of the project is $8-10 billion.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Based on materials from TASS