TAPI gas pipeline project launched

HERAT: Ground-breaking ceremony of Afghanistan section of landmark Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project was held in Herat on Friday.

It was attended by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, India’s Minister of State External affairs Mobashar Jawed Akbar, NATO and US Forces Commander Gen. John Nicholson and other high-ranking officials.

Addressing the ceremony, PM Abbasi said Pakistan was committed to long-term economic goals which guarantee stability in the region. He wished Afghanistan success for its economic projects.

The Afghan president in his address said Afghanistan will leave no stone unturned to implement the project.

He said today Herat gives the message of confidence, hope and rehabilitation to Afghanistan and the region.

Ghani said this project was the start of trust in Afghanistan. The project would improve regional cooperation and will move us from poverty to prosperity.

The Turkmenistan president meanwhile stressed the need for increasing his country’s cooperation with Afghanistan.

He said the implementation of the TAPI project is the biggest achievement for the countries involved and it has a good impact on Afghanistan’s security and economy.

India’s Minister of State External Affairs at the event said his country is committed to supporting the project.

Earlier, a ceremony on completion of Turkmenistan section of TAPI pipeline project was held at Turkmen city of Serhetabad.

An agreement on Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan power line was also signed on the occasion.

A Pakistani cultural troupe performed at the occasion along with their counterparts from partner TAPI countries.

Addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi expressed the confidence that TAPI gas pipeline project would provide shared prosperity, unite people, provide socio-economic development and peace dividends in the region.

He said Pakistan has been able to overcome its challenges and is on the path of economic progress. It will achieve six percent growth this year and the CPEC would provide most efficient connectivity to the region.

Abbasi said Pakistan has added ten thousand megawatts of power in the last four years. By the end of next year, Pakistan would be adding 2500 kilometers of six lane motorways to provide connectivity in the region.

He said Pakistan is a huge market for investors and provides peace, security and stability.

He described groundbreaking of TAPI project as a historic occasion, which recreates historical linkages that the region had.