Monday, March 28, 2011 - The presidents of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan met Sunday on the sidelines of a regional celebration of the Novruz New Year holiday in the Iranian capital Tehran to discuss developments in a regional pipeline project.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Afghan President Hamid Karzai met to discuss how the long-stalled Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline can actually be realized, according to the Trend news agency on Monday.
Karzai indicated his support of the project, which will transport Turkmen gas to partner countries. TAPI members signed an agreement in December 2010 to bring the project to fruition, but have yet to agree on a Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) that would set the prices for the Turkmen fuel.
According to the Pakistani news agency Online News, the four TAPI nations are expected to meet in India on April 30 in an attempt to negotiate final GSPA agreements. The summit will happen after a meeting from April 25-27 in the Indian capital New Delhi of the Technical Working Group.
The pipeline, which analysts believe will cost at least $7.6 billion to construct, will bring 38 million cubic meters of gas each to India and Pakistan. Afghanistan will receive up to 14 million cubic meters.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Afghan President Hamid Karzai met to discuss how the long-stalled Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline can actually be realized, according to the Trend news agency on Monday.
Karzai indicated his support of the project, which will transport Turkmen gas to partner countries. TAPI members signed an agreement in December 2010 to bring the project to fruition, but have yet to agree on a Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) that would set the prices for the Turkmen fuel.
According to the Pakistani news agency Online News, the four TAPI nations are expected to meet in India on April 30 in an attempt to negotiate final GSPA agreements. The summit will happen after a meeting from April 25-27 in the Indian capital New Delhi of the Technical Working Group.
The pipeline, which analysts believe will cost at least $7.6 billion to construct, will bring 38 million cubic meters of gas each to India and Pakistan. Afghanistan will receive up to 14 million cubic meters.
http://centralasianewswire.com/International/Turkmen-Afghan-presidents-discuss-TAPI-pipeline-in-Tehran/viewstory.aspx?id=3659
