The Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan Compare Notes on the TAPI and TAP Projects
Ashgabat — Kabul | ORIENT. The strategic partnership between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan promises to become even more substantive this year. Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov held talks with Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi via videoconference.
The focus is on the implementation of large-scale cross-border initiatives: the TAPI gas pipeline, the TAP power transmission line, and railways. According to Ariana News, the parties expressed satisfaction with the progress of the work, noting that the projects have reached the practical implementation stage. Rashid Meredov emphasized the need for close coordination in preparing for upcoming visits by high-level delegations and organizing new bilateral initiatives.
Herat Section: 91 Kilometers Ready. News from Herat province adds particular significance to the negotiations. According to Afghan authorities, critical progress has been made on the western section of the route: technical preparations have been made for the actual pipe laying along a 91-kilometer route.
These details were discussed at a recent meeting between Herat Governor Nur Ahmad Islamjar and representatives of the Turkmen side—Begench Abdullayev, head of the TAPI project in Afghanistan, and Batyr Yolov, Consul General of Turkmenistan. Work camps have already been established along the route to provide logistics and support for construction.
Planning Horizon: 2026. According to current plans, construction of the Afghan section of TAPI in Herat province is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The project, designed to connect Central and South Asia, remains a key factor in stability and economic growth in the region, opening up new opportunities for the creation of thousands of jobs and the development of energy infrastructure.
