Turkmen President, Pakistani Minister Discuss Regional Projects

Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhamedow discussed the progress of large-scale regional projects with the visiting Pakistani Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain.

The two sides underlined industry, energy and transport among the priority areas of trade and economic partnership between the two countries, and noted that “our countries are actively taking part in the implementation of large-scale regional energy and communication projects,” the state-run news agency Turkmenistan Today reported on June 25.

"These include the construction of the transnational gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI), power transmission lines and fiber-optic communication lines along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) route," the report said.

It is expected that the TAPI gas pipeline will annually transport 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas along an 1800-kilometer route from Turkmen Galkynysh, the second largest gas field in the world, to the Indian city of Fazilka, located near the border of India with Pakistan.

“The implementation of these large-scale projects will contribute to the sustainable socioeconomic development of the entire region, its successful integration into the system of global economic relations, and the strengthening of regional peace and stability," the report noted.

The Turkmen president expressed confidence that the Pakistani official's visit "will give new impetus to long-term bilateral cooperation".

"Turkmenistan pays great attention to strengthening fruitful relations with Pakistan that are being built based on the principles of mutual understanding and respect and meets the interests of our peoples," he said.

During his visit to Ashgabat, the Pakistani minister also met with Turkmenistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredow, and they exchanged views on a wide range of issues in various sectors of the economy, primarily in the fuel and energy sector, industry, transport and communications.

They also discussed the implementation of the TAPI gas pipeline project, as well as the laying of power transmission lines and fiber-optic communication lines along the TAP route.

The TAP project is a large-scale infrastructural and economic initiative aimed at establishing links between the participating countries of the project to ensure energy and communication integration, as well as stimulate economic growth and development in the region.

On April 2, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari called for the early signing of a transit trade deal with Turkmenistan, following a meeting with the Ambassador of Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov in Islamabad.

Zardari said that the deal would help increase trade, promote regional connectivity and boost economic activities in the region. He also pledged to boost bilateral ties with Turkmenistan, adding that Islamabad attached "special value" to the ties.