In a significant development, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, has announced that work on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project is set to resume shortly. Speaking during a high-level meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi underscored the economic potential of the TAPI project for Afghanistan and its neighboring countries.
According to Muttaqi, Afghanistan stands to gain approximately $450 million annually in transit fees once the pipeline becomes operational, in addition to receiving 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The TAPI project, which stretches over 1,840 kilometers, has already seen 214 kilometers completed within Turkmenistan, with the remaining sections in Afghanistan poised to commence soon.
“All preparations have been made for the start of this project, and both countries are ready to begin,” said Muttaqi. However, he noted that the signing of legal documents between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan remains a prerequisite for the project’s progression.
Turkmenistan, described by Muttaqi as one of Afghanistan’s key economic partners, is actively involved in several major regional projects alongside Afghanistan, including the TAPI pipeline, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) electricity transmission line, the CASA-1000 power project, and a transnational railway linetransnational railway line.
The TAPI pipeline is designed to transport 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Turkmenistan, with 5 billion cubic meters allocated to Afghanistan, and 14 billion cubic meters each to Pakistan and India. The project’s total cost is estimated at $10 billion, and its successful implementation is expected to significantly enhance the energy landscape of Central and South Asia.
The TAPI project was initially inaugurated in Herat in 2018 by senior officials from the participating countries, but progress was stalled for reasons that remain unclear. With the recent announcement, there is renewed optimism that this critical infrastructure project will soon reach completion, bringing substantial economic benefits to the region.
