Afghanistan is attempting to finalize all legal documents for the TAPI project and prepare the ground for its implementation, stated Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi at a meeting with Turkmen Ambassador to Kabul Khawaja Awadov, reported TOLOnews.
Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment emphasized the practical start of the TAPI project in the country, the publication noted. "The net income from the TAPI project is $400 million, and thousands of people will also be employed," said the first deputy of the Afghan Chamber.
Despite the Taliban repeatedly stating their readiness to start the TAPI project over the past three years, some economic experts believe that regional competition is a factor delaying the start of this project, the publication writes.
"The more negative competition and tension between TAPI member countries, the more this major regional project is threatened, and countries cannot benefit from it," believes economic expert Shakir Yagubi.
"Since the project is regional, the obstacles are also regional," another expert, Sayed Masood, suggests.
Previously, Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum stated that technical work on the TAPI project is completed and there are no obstacles to the project's implementation. At the same time, work on land acquisition for this project continues in Herat province.
It is known that in March 2023, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced its "full readiness" to start work on the TAPI gas pipeline. A ministry representative reported that legal and technical obstacles in Afghanistan had been resolved, but the project's implementation is delayed due to issues in other TAPI member countries.
In June this year, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Chairman of the Turkmen Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov discussed the construction of TAPI with officials from the UAE and Pakistan.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
July 17, 2024