The need to start practical work on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline was announced by the Acting Minister of Mining and Oil in the Taliban government, Shahabuddin Delaware, at a meeting with the Executive Director of the TAPI gas pipeline project, Muhammetmyrat Amanov, and the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Kabul, Khoja Ovezov.

Construction The TAPI gas pipeline with a length of 1814 kilometers and a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year was launched in December 2015 on the territory of Turkmenistan. This gas pipeline will allow Ashgabat to diversify its gas exports, give Kabul the means to solve acute social problems, and allow Islamabad and Delhi to cover the energy deficit.

The Taliban movement also expressed its interest in TAPI after coming to power in Afghanistan. As Shahabuddin Delaware emphasized, “by implementing this project, more jobs and investments will be created in Afghanistan. Since Afghanistan is in a good security situation, we should seize this opportunity and start practical work on the TAPI project as soon as possible with the cooperation of both countries,” the press service of the Ministry of Mining and Oil of Afghanistan said.

The minister also called the TAPI project one of the largest economic and social projects. In turn, Muhammetmyrat Amanov, speaking about the progress of this project, noted that Turkmenistan is striving to start practical work on the TAPI project as soon as possible.