Work starts on Afghan section of TAPI gas pipeline to Pakistan, India

SERHETABAT:  Turkmenistan on Friday announced the start of construction work on the Afghan section of a natural gas pipeline that will link the energy-rich Central Asian nation to Pakistan and India.

"Galkynysh, the world´s second-biggest gas field, will feed the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline," Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov told reporters gathered in a town near the Turkmen-Afghan border through a video link.

Earlier,   Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in a meeting with Turkmen  President that TAPI gas pipeline project is an important project for Pakistan due to its growing energy needs.

Referring to prospective purchase of electricity from Turkmenistan, he said it would add a new dimension to the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Abbasi arrived in Mary city of Turkmenistan earlier  on Thursday  on the invitation from the president of Turkmenistan to participate in the link-up ceremonies of TAPI pipeline and associated projects.

The prime minister appreciated the president’s vision of TAPI as a trade and transit corridor for gas, electricity transmission and fiber optic, connecting the region.

He observed that the Gwadar Port would provide the most efficient access to the sea for Turkmenistan.