HERAT CITY: The governor of western Herat province said here the other day that implementation of the Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) gas pipeline would pave the way for other development projects in the country.
Addressing a conference on TAPI importance here, Mohammad Asif Rahimi said the key energy project had been on paper for the past 30 years but the plan had come to fruition due to the interest of Turkmenistan, and other member participating countries.
He said work on the project was underway in Turkmenistan, having special importance for Afghanistan’s economic growth and security.And that was why the people of Afghanistan were eager for its early implementation, he added.
Turkmenistan’s visiting deputy foreign minister, his Afghan counterpart and other national and international officials were present on the occasion.
The 700 kilometres pipeline will carry gas from the natural resource-rich former Soviet state to the energy-starved South Asian countries.It is vital for Afghanistan, which will receive $450 million annually.. Around 6,000 Afghan security forces will be deployed to safeguard the pipeline.
