Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Kabul: Yesterday morning, the practical work of the TAPI project and other development projects (oil and gas, energy and transport) between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan was attended by Mullah Hassan Akhund, Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The projects will generate about $1 billion in revenue for Afghanistan, the presidential palace said. Using the routes established, Afghan products can be transported to European countries and play an important role in connecting Central and South Asia.
The TAPI pipeline project, which transports Turkmen gas through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India, is 1,821 kilometers long and has an annual capacity of 33 billion cubic meters. According to officials, Afghanistan's annual revenue from gas transit through the project will be $400 million.
The Turghandi port development project, which includes two phases of construction of a 22-kilometer railway from Herat to Sanobar and construction of hangars, facilities and sub-railway along the route, will also be implemented at a cost of about $40 million.
The Noor-ul-Jihad substation has also been built at a cost of more than $3.5 million with the financial support of the Afghan Electricity Company, which will ensure electricity supply in Herat province, officials said.
The Islamic Emirate's presidential palace says the substation will reduce technical losses by increasing the voltage from 110 to 220 volts and will connect Afghanistan's fiber optic project to Europe via Turkmenistan, as well as Turkmenistan to Pakistan and other neighboring countries via Afghanistan. .
At a ceremony held on the occasion of the inauguration of these projects in the Mari region of Turkmenistan, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, in his speech, said that the inauguration of these projects represents the good intentions and wise policy of the national leader of Turkmenistan and other officials of the country.
Projects that strengthen friendship between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan
The Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate added that friendly, fraternal and good neighborly relations between the two countries are developing and the implementation of these important projects is of great importance not only for the interests of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, but also for the interests of the region.
Turkmen National Leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov also described the relations between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan as historic in which mutual respect, equality, brotherhood and good neighborliness between the two countries have always been prominent examples.
He described the continuation of cooperation with the people of Afghanistan in the economic, political and diplomatic fields as an important part of Turkmenistan's policy and said: These projects will have a positive impact on economic development, industrial growth and social life of Afghanistan and will provide jobs for at least 12,000 Afghans.
Meanwhile, various Afghan officials and personalities have also reacted to the inauguration of the TAPI project and other development projects between the two countries.
Zakir Jalali, a senior official at the Islamic Emirate's foreign ministry, said in an article on X-Network that the initial talks on the transportation of Turkmen gas through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India began nearly three decades ago when the Islamic Emirate was in power.
He added that during the 20 years of US occupation, no fundamental work was done for TAPI and TAPI was seen only from the point of view of propaganda and campaigning.
Jalali, however, stressed that this time the practical work of TAPI will be opened when all legal documents related to TAPI are signed after long, detailed and careful negotiations and both neighboring governments have serious political will to complete this large regional project. .
The senior foreign ministry official noted that on the other hand, there does not seem to be any obstacle that can disrupt the work of TAPI.
Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, also wrote in an article: In the light of diplomacy, active and peaceful Islamic Emirate, the TAPI project was inaugurated today.
He stressed that the project will play an important role in creating jobs, foreign exchange earnings, fuel supply and strengthening the country's economic and transit position.
Abdul Salam Zaif, a former official of the Islamic Emirate, congratulated the Afghan nation on the inauguration of the TAPI project and reminded them that “neighbors have common interests that ensure strong peace and there is a great need for mutual interaction.
Anas Haqqani said that in the past half century, Afghanistan has not shown its natural role in geographical communications, saying that now is the time to take such big steps.