On September 15, 2024, a briefing was held at the Afghan Foreign Ministry dedicated to the launch of new stages of construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) transnational gas pipeline and other transport and communications projects.
The briefing was attended by Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi and heads of departments of the ministry, heads of diplomatic missions and representative offices of international organizations in Kabul.
At the beginning of the briefing, Amir Khan Muttaqi spoke, noting that on September 11, a ceremony of commissioning and launching the construction of a number of facilities was held at the “Islim-Cheshme” border checkpoint near the Turkmen-Afghan border with the participation of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Acting Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Afghanistan Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund. It was especially emphasized that the construction work related to TAPI on the territory of Turkmenistan has been completed, and now work has begun on the Afghan territory.
Amir Khan Muttaqi noted that Afghanistan is committed to the implementation of this project. It was noted that the Afghan side has agreed and signed all the necessary documents for this. It was also emphasized that a vast portion of the gas will be sent to Pakistan and India through Afghanistan.
Along with TAPI, the launch of projects in the field of energy, rail transport and fiber-optic communication lines was noted.
Mr. Muttaqi noted that it is very important for Afghanistan to build up ties with neighboring and regional countries, and the launch of projects with the participation of Turkmenistan will serve as a powerful impetus for further international projects with the participation of other countries.
In addition, the briefing covered the construction of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway, as well as the Turgundi-Spin Buldak route, the implementation of the CASA-1000 project and the construction of a railway between the Afghan province of Kunduz and Tajikistan. The Afghan side’s interest in establishing cargo transportation to China via the Wakhan Corridor and intensifying cooperation along the Lapis Lazuli transit corridor was also emphasized.
Then, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Afghanistan Khoja Ovezov made a presentation. The Ambassador spoke in detail about the events that took place on September 11 on the Turkmen-Afghan border, their significance in terms of the socio-economic development of the entire region. The importance of the humanitarian aid sent to Afghanistan in accordance with the Order of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov was also emphasized.