TAPI gas pipeline agreement signed

Representatives from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India signed the Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Natural Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement between the Government on Saturday, as well as a government agreement on measures to implement the gas pipeline project.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora all attended the signing ceremony.

Berdymukhamedov told Xinhua after the ceremony that after the pipeline with a length of 1,735 kilometers was finished, Turkmenistan would send enough natural gas to the other three countries to meet the needs of their fast developing economy.

However, Berdymukhamedov did not reveal the detailed content of the agreement.

Karzai said Afghanistan would secure the construction and operation of the pipeline. Zardari said the successful transmission of natural gas would highly promote the economic development in the three countries, and would also help in combat the terrorism and extremism forces.

Deora said the four sides should handle several tough issues as price and safety though the agreement was signed.

According to previous media report, after the pipeline is built up, Turkmenistan will transport about 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The whole project would cost 4 billion U.S. dollars.