The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Afghanistan has announced its intention to hold another exhibition of goods in Turkmenistan, the press service of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (UIET) informs.
With the aim of developing exports and interstate trade, the Afghan ministry has planned to organize over 30 exhibitions in Afghanistan and abroad.
Following the previous exhibition of their products, which took place from March 4th to 6th, Afghan manufacturers entered into several contracts with Turkmen companies. The Chairman of Turkmenistan's Cabinet of Ministers, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, ordered 100,000 cubic meters of marble from Afghanistan to be used in construction projects in Arkadag. Turkmenistan will also purchase 50,000 tons of iron and 6,000 tons of beams.
In February, during a meeting with the Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov promised to facilitate visa issuance for entrepreneurs and transport personnel from Afghanistan, increase scholarships for Afghan students studying in Turkmenistan, increase gas and electricity supplies, invest in expanding the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, and create favorable conditions for trade.
Meanwhile, Turkmenistan's Ambassador to Pakistan, Atadjan Movlamov, expressed concerns about delays in the implementation of the TAPI gas pipeline project during a meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Petroleum, Musadik Malik, held on March 26th, as reported by The Express Tribune.
Atadjan Movlamov tried to persuade the minister that "TAPI is a win-win project for all its participants" and invited Pakistan to participate in an energy forum that Turkmenistan will hold in Paris on April 24-25.
Musadik Malik, in turn, assured that Pakistan is committed to implementing TAPI, calling the project a flagship for the country.
As noted by the publication, the TAPI project began to suffer delays when Pakistan asked Turkmenistan to reduce the gas price during the tenure of the previous Prime Minister Imran Khan's party (who was arrested and convicted of corruption in 2023). However, the Turkmen side refused to reconsider the prices, arguing that it would have to justify it to other countries like Afghanistan and India, which might also demand a reduction in the gas price.
Later, the new government of Pakistan also raised the issue of the cost of Turkmen gas, but no progress has been made in this area yet.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 27, 2024