IEA deputy PM Hanafi meets Turkmenistan deputy FM, discusses TAPI Project

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi met with Turkmenistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Wafa Khadzhiev on Saturday and discussed bilateral cooperation, including restarting the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Pipeline project in Afghanistan.

The Turkmen delegates included deputy Foreign Minister Wafa Khadzhieve, Mohammad Murad Amanov, the chief of the TAPI company and Turkmen ambassador to Kabul Hoja Ovezov.

During the meeting, the chief of the TAPI company provided information on the technical issues of the project and the facilities it provides for employment and trade.

IEA’s deputy PM said that IEA is ready to take practical steps for the implementation of the project.

“The relevant departments of the two countries will work to prepare the necessary conditions for the implementation of the TAPI project,” Hanafi said.

Meanwhile, in a separate meeting with IEA Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, Khadzhiev expressed satisfaction with the overall security situation in Afghanistan, saying Turkmenistan would start work on the TAPI project in September. He also stressed the importance of joint Afghan-Turkmenistan work in this area.

Stanekzai thanked Turkmenistan for its humanitarian aid to the Afghan people and said the transit route between Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan was important for connecting Central Asia with South Asia, assuring cooperation thereof.

According to the IEA foreign ministry the two sides also discussed tax exemptions, dynamics of land acquisition for the projects, tariffs and a trilateral transit corridor agreement between Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.