“Today marks the start of a project of great scale – the TAPI pipeline”, said Berdymukhamedov during the ceremony, which took place in a pavilion imitating a traditional Turkmen nomadic dwelling.
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Vice President Hamid Ansari, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Presidents of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, and Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow signed a memorial note and shovelled earth to signify beginning of TAPI gas pipeline construction.
“This is a momentous day and vital moment has been made possible through the perseverance of all stake holders”.
MARY, Turkmenistan, Dec 13 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Sunday joined the regional leaders to formally launch work on the historic Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, the largest gas pipeline project in the region.
Describing TAPI as much more than a gas pipeline project for the four countries, Ansari said that it was a reflection of the common desire of the four member countries to re-connect themselves.
Nawaz Sharif said peace in Afghanistan is vital for development and progress in the region. The project, which is expected to be completed by 2019, will supply Pakistan 1325 mmcfd of natural gas to help mitigate its chronic energy crisis.
He said Pakistan has been working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and we invite all other regional states to be part of the project. He will also hold a bilateral meeting with the President of Turkey. He said that Pakistan wants good ties with all its neighbours including India, reported Dunya News.
Owing to border disputes and historical conflicts between India and Pakistan, and Pakistan-Afghanistan, the region is also economically the least integrated, although it has a huge potential. “Once we decide that we have to resolve Pakistan-India issues on table, we’ll resolve these issues. I am confident that with the active engagement of all four governments, and the support of our global partners, we can overcome such challenges”, he added.
Nawaz Sharif’s comments come just ahead of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s Parliament briefing on the outcome of the dialogue in the past two weeks. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said the project will change the economic landscape of this region. He added that Pakistan has some influence over Taliban but they are not under Pakistan’s control.
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Both Afghanistan and Pakistan will also share gas and will not merely remain transit points; which is a positive for the project as the stakes of both these countries will be high. The prime minister said that under a wide political consensus in the shape of the National Action Plan the Constitution was amended and now the military courts were delivering verdicts.
