KABUL (SW): Heading a delegation of senior officials, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani landed in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on Saturday for the inauguration of much-awaited Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan and India TAPI gas pipeline project.
The multi-billion dollar deal would see natural gas transporting from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. The pipeline is expected to be operational by December 2018. Parts of the The 1,735 kilometres (1,078 mi) in Afghanistan will be constructed alongside the Kandahar–Herat Highway, and then via Quetta and Multan in Pakistan.
Afghanistan will have the right to use 600 million to 5 billion cubic meters of gas per annum, and to earn about $ 400 million per year in transit fees.
In the meantime, Salahuddin Rabbani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has said that TAPI is much more than just an economic project. In a statement, he said in a message that the project has greater political implication.
Rabbani, TAPI plane besides economic issue, it is valuable for the good political choice and security for regional. Originally conceived in the 1990s, security concerns along the rout of TAPI gas pipeline have kept this key project on hold for quite a while now.
President Ghani, besides opening the plan of gas pipeline would talk about Neutral strategy, international cooperation in the field of peace, development and security.
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