President Zardari for early completion of TAPI pipeline

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday called for the early completion of the TAPI Gas Pipeline to help meet Pakistan’s energy needs, ARY News reported.

Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Pakistan Atadjan Movlamov called on President Zardari where the two discussed matters of mutual respect, according to a President House press release.

During the talks, the president of Pakistan called for the early finalisation of the Transit Trade Agreement with Turkmenistan to further boost bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

According to President Zardari, the agreement, once signed, would help expand trade, promote regional connectivity as well as enhance economic activities in the region.

Ambassador Movlamov congratulated President Zardari on assuming the office of the President for the second time as both sides expressed a desire for the early completion of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline, which would not only support Pakistan’s economy but would also help meet its energy needs.

Earlier, the president said that Pakistan attached special value to its bilateral relations with Turkmenistan due to the centuries-old historical, religious and cultural links and wished to increase high-level exchanges to give a fresh boost to bilateral ties.

He expressed Pakistan’s desire to work with Turkmenistan to further enhance mutually beneficial cooperation. The president highlighted that the existing volume of trade between the two countries needed to be improved for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

The ambassador of Turkmenistan conveyed the greetings of the Turkmen President, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and former President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to President Asif Ali Zardari on his election for the second term.

He said that the Transit Trade Agreement was not only important for both friendly countries but also for the region as it would generate huge transit trade activities.

President Zardari expressed warm wishes for the leadership of Turkmenistan and thanked them for their felicitation message on his election.