Taliban Announce Need To Start Practical Work On TAPI Gas Pipeline Project

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2022) The acting minister of mines and petroleum in the Taliban Afghan government (under UN sanctions over terrorist activities), Shahabuddin Delawar, announced on Wednesday the need to start practical work on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Pipeline (TAPI) project.

The construction of the TAPI gas pipeline, which is due to stretch for 1,814 kilometers (1127 miles) and offer a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, started in December 2015 in Turkmenistan. According to experts, the gas pipeline will allow Ashgabat to diversify its gas exports as well as provide Kabul with funds to solve its most acute social problems, while Islamabad and Delhi will cover their energy shortage. The Taliban also announced their interest in TAPI after coming to power.

"By implementing this project, more jobs and investments will be created in Afghanistan. Since Afghanistan is in a good security situation, we must use this opportunity and begin practical work on the TAPI project as soon as possible with the cooperation of both countries," the acting minister said during a meeting with TAPI's executive director, Mukhammetmyrat Amanov, and Ambassador of Turkmenistan in Kabul Hoja Ovezov, as quoted by the Afghan Mines and Petroleum Ministry.

Delawar also called TAPI a major economic and social project.

Amanov, speaking about the plans and progress of the project, was quoted as saying that Turkmenistan seeks to begin practical work on the TAPI project as soon as possible, adding that he will present a specific plan that takes into account the construction of gas distribution reserves in the Afghan province of Herat.

The Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, after the collapse of the US-backed civilian government and mass evacuations. On August 31, 2021, US forces withdrew from the country after 20 years of military presence.

In August, the spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Esmatullah Burhan, said that Afghanistan had established a committee to launch practical work on TAPI after a pause following the Taliban takeover.