The TAPI project, recognized as a vital energy connector among four key countries in the region, was inaugurated by the presence of governments from Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its objective is to facilitate the transfer of gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India.
Mohammad Hasan Akhund, the Taliban Prime Minister, along with other officials from Afghanistan, arrived in Turkmenistan to participate in the inauguration of the TAPI project and other significant developmental initiatives, during their meeting with Turkmen government officials, the project was officially launched.
Some Afghan citizens express their hope that this project will positively impact the lives of people by creating job opportunities, increasing investment, and facilitating trade, thereby fostering various political and economic collaborations.
However, the inauguration of this project has also elicited a range of reactions. Amrullah Saleh, former First Vice President under Ashrafani’s administration, stated in a message on the social media platform X that the energy transfer project from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, known as TAPI, has been reduced to little more than a commercial announcement due to shifting power dynamics. He expressed scepticism regarding its implementation.
“In the current context, where legitimacy and legality are utterly absent in Afghanistan, discussing major economic schemes is merely a farce. Large economic plans and projects hinge on legitimate and popular governance internally, and externally, they are intricately linked to the unspoken and undefined relations concerning the conflicts and reconciliations of major and medium powers,” Saleh said.
The history of the TAPI project dates back three decades. Over the years, officials from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India have three times attempted to implement the project, specifically in 2010, 2015, and 2018, yet it remains unfulfilled to this day.
The total length of the TAPI gas pipeline measures one thousand and eight hundred and fourteen kilometres, traversing Afghan territory through the provinces of Herat, Farah, Nimroz, Helmand, and Kandahar. If TAPI becomes operational, Afghanistan is expected to generate over a hundred million dollars annually in gas transit fees.
- نویسنده : Afghanistan Women News Agency
- منبع خبر : Afghanistan Women News Agency
