Turkmenistan and Pakistan Updated the Implementation of the TAPI Megaproject
The promotion of strategic transregional energy and telecommunications projects was one of the topics of high-level diplomatic talks held in New York on May 28. On the sidelines of the UN Security Council High-Level Open Debates, Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The diplomats thoroughly analyzed the enormous potential for bilateral economic and infrastructure cooperation, highlighting the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India transcontinental gas pipeline and the development of associated infrastructure, including high-voltage power lines and high-capacity fiber-optic communication systems along the shared TAP corridor, as a prime example of partnership.
During the review of the geopolitical agenda, the Turkmen side expressed deep gratitude to Islamabad for its consistent and steadfast support of Ashgabat's international initiatives, regularly put forward within the framework of the United Nations. The interlocutors agreed that regular contacts between the leaders of the two states play a key role in strengthening good-neighborly relations and provide a powerful additional impetus to regional security.
As practical steps to expand cooperation, the ministers discussed in detail the schedule for preparations for the upcoming meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.
At the end of the meeting, special emphasis was placed on the cultural and humanitarian component of interstate relations, designed to ensure further civilizational rapprochement between peoples. The parties then reaffirmed their mutual readiness to continue an active and trusting political dialogue at all levels.
