TAPI, Taliban and Afghan...
The borders of Afghanistan as a single state are clearly marked on the political map of the world, but in reality, it is a territory ruled by separate small khanates or their groups that are close for political reasons - be it government forces or the so-called movement, which is called the common word "Taliban"...
Although both are subdivided in turn into independent groupings - "reconciled" and "irreconcilable", loyal and belligerent, extreme and not very, etc.
Turkmenistan initially advocated the preservation of Afghanistan as a unified state. And for all problems between internal and external forces to be resolved on the basis of political and diplomatic mechanisms. For the state to be real, and not written on paper, which, as you know, will endure everything.
It is also obvious that there should be strong connecting threads between the subjects of the state, and even better - reliable ropes. And these are state-binding systems, such as power lines common to the entire country, complementary interregional relations, nationwide railways, etc.
For Afghanistan, under current conditions, one of the most important state linkings can become the long-awaited TAPI - a gas pipeline that is needed by everyone: pro-government forces and the Taliban, Shiites and Sunnis, rich and poor, those who perform five-time prayer daily, and those who secretly glorify Ahuramazda.
For TAPI will bring warmth and light to both those and others, and even to the third. Artificial breaking of this chain in any area threatens with difficulties not only to those on the other side of your barricades, but also to yourself.
Therefore, such projects as the TAPI gas pipeline, a power transmission line being built in parallel with it, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway, etc. will contribute to stabilizing the situation on a large territory where conflicting groups, tribes and nationalities live, and even in strengthening ties with neighboring countries.
By no means every country will independently manage large international projects, but the involvement of international financial structures, transnational companies, etc. will strengthen their vitality.
But prospective investors and construction contractors do not need paper guarantees, but real income from their participation. Therefore, the participation of powerful states in their implementation gives a large margin of reliability to such projects.
And the statement by Sergei Lavrov, made the other day in Uzbek Tashkent, that the interconnection of the energy infrastructure of Central and South Asia is very promising, that Russian companies are interested in participating in the construction of TAPI, that the TAPI project fits perfectly into solving the problem of supporting the economy of Afghanistan and establishing relations of the Russian Federation with the Taliban is a clear signal of Russia's interest in the successful outcome of the TAPI project, addressed to the multipolar forces of Afghanistan.
And, as it seems to me, not only to them.
Alexander BAYRIEV
