Turkmen envoy for expediting work on TAPI

Says pipeline will help Pakistan resolve energy crisis.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan can resolve its energy crisis by expediting work on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline Project, Turkmenistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan Atadjan Movlamov said on Thursday. The Turkmen ambassador was talking to a delegation from the business community, which included representatives of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He said that concerns about the security challenges to the TAPI gas pipeline are baseless, as the Afghan government is to receive around 8% of the revenue generated, and that all stakeholders in the country favour the project. He said that Turkmenistan is holding more road shows on the TAPI project with the help of ADB to attract investors, after already holding three in London, New York and Singapore.

Movlamov said that Turkmenistan is also extending its railways and power network to Afghanistan, which can offer new opportunities to Pakistan to boost its transit trade business and cope with the power shortfall in the country.

The ambassador also invited the FPCCI to participate in a business forum to be held in Asghabat in November to explore opportunities, adding that “we are interested in holding a Pakistan business forum and a single-country exhibition to boost bilateral trade.” He also informed the delegates that Pakistan and Turkmenistan will soon hold three separate meetings of working groups on energy, agriculture and trade.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2012.