Pakistan and Turkmenistan have agreed to strengthen energy cooperation, enhance energy trade and broaden energy infrastructure investment based on strategic and favorable commercial terms.
It was discussed in a meeting held between the delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Maksat Babayev, State Minister, Chairman of State Concern “Turkmengas”, and Annageldi Saparov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Turkmenistan, and the delegation of Pakistan headed by Khurram Dastgir Khan, Federal Minister of Energy (Power Division) of Pakistan, and Dr Musadik Malik, State Minister of Energy (Petroleum Division) of Pakistan.
During the meeting, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, particularly the projects for the construction of the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) transnational gas pipeline, and the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan power transmission and fiber-optic communication line (TAP). It was agreed that significant progress has been made in terms of the practical implementation of the TAPI Project. The construction of the 214-km long Turkmenistan section of the TAPI pipeline from the Galkynysh gas field in Turkmenistan to the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan border has been completed.
The Pakistan side emphasized that the TAPI and TAP Projects had full support of the Government of Pakistan as they were crucial for the socio-economic prosperity of the region and for ensuring energy security and economic growth in Pakistan. The parties agreed to maintain regular contacts between the Technical Working Groups of Turkmenistan and Pakistan on the implementation of joint energy projects.
