KABUL, OCT 16: The Islamic Emirate said that it is ready to pay the cost of the TAPI project which is related to Afghanistan.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Homayoun Afghan, said that now security has been ensured in the country, and that the Islamic Emirate has also resolved the acquisition of land for the TAPI project.
“Turkmenistan contributes to the support, as does Afghanistan and other nations like Pakistan and India. God willing, we are prepared to begin work whenever it begins, and if no alternative can be found, we are prepared to support ourselves,” the spokesman noted.
“The Tapi project is one of the vital projects for our country. Afghanistan is fully prepared to start this project, but you know that the project is related to four countries, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. It is necessary for them to be ready to start too,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate spokesman.
This comes as, in the last two years, there was talk about the start of the TAPI project, but so far its practical work has not started.
Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Chamber of Industry and Mines said that starting large projects, particularly the TAPI project, is essential for the nation’s economic development and the creation of jobs for its people.
“We hope that practical work on this project will start. With the start of the TAPI project, an economic transformation will take place in Afghanistan, even if this is transferred to Herat, this will also be a big achievement for the Afghan economy,” said Sakhi Ahmad Paiman, first deputy of the chamber.
According to some economists, the regional competition has caused the TAPI project to not start in a practical way.
“The main reason TAPI is not progressing is because of the problem and political conflict between Pakistan and India. The Pakistanis, who compete with the Indians, do not expect at all to provide a sustainable and stable source of energy for India, who is their rival,” said Sayed Masoud, an economist.
“This project is now facing two major issues; the first is the recognition of the Islamic Emirate, which has slowed it down and is the subject of continuing negotiations. Another major problem of this project is the bilateral tensions between the countries involved, especially the dispute between India and Pakistan,” said Seiyar Qurishi, another economist.
The TAPI project starts from Turkmenistan and reaches India after passing through the territory of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In Afghanistan, The TAPI project crosses through Herat, Farah, Nimroz, Helmand and Kandahar to Pakistan and India.
The pipeline will span 1,814 km with 735 km of it crossing through Afghanistan.
Along with creating jobs for thousands of people, Afghanistan will make more than $400 million a year from the execution of this project.
