Syed Fazl-e-Haider
On September 11, the inauguration ceremony of a critical section of the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline project was held on the border between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Afghan Prime Minister Muhammad Hassan Akhund, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, Turkmen People’s Council Chair Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov all attended the ceremony (Turkmen Portal, September 11). Ashgabat and Kabul have officially resumed work on the much-delayed pipeline project, which involves the construction of a more than 1,700-kilometer (1,056-mile) pipeline from the Galkynysh gas field in Turkmenistan to the Indian city of Fazilka via Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAFN, September 12). Ashgabat will finance the construction of the pipeline’s 150-kilometer (93-mile) Turkmenistan-Afghanistan segment, which will extend from the border town of Serhetabat in Turkmenistan to Herat, Afghanistan. The pipeline is set to deliver up to 33 billion cubic meters per annum of gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India via Afghanistan (Upstream Online, September 13). The TAPI pipeline is undoubtedly an ambitious infrastructure project that looks to reshape the energy landscape of Central and South Asia. Still, it faces numerous challenges due to regional unrest, particularly between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and other geopolitical rivalries.
Construction of the TAPI pipeline has been under discussion since the early 1990s. In 2014, a pipeline consortium was announced for the construction of the pipeline at an estimated cost of $10 billion. Construction began in 2018 but was halted due to security issues in Afghanistan (see EDM, December 6, 2021, June 6, 2023). At the opening ceremony on September 11, Akhund said, “We have been waiting for this day for years.” Additionally, Turkmenistan’s president, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, stated, “The start of these projects demonstrates the good neighborliness of our countries. These projects are beneficial not only for the people of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan but also for the countries of the region” (Tolo News, September 11).
No comments:
Post a Comment