Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 27
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
Russia has been invited to take part in the construction project of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, said Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Oil and Gas Complex of Turkmenistan online newspaper reported citing Russian media outlets.
Some projects are being successfully implemented in Afghanistan, including the projects being implemented by Turkmenistan, said Putin at a meeting with the leadership of chambers of the Federal Assembly.
“It is necessary to see, of course, how feasible will be the projects of this kind,” added the Russian president.
Turkmenistan started constructing its TAPI section in December 2015 and the construction is expected to take three years. The total length of the TAPI pipeline will be 1,814 kilometers. A 214-kilometer section of the pipeline will run through Turkmenistan, a 774-kilometer section will run through Afghanistan and an 826-kilometer section will run through Pakistan.
Representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Government of Japan announced their interest in financing the TAPI pipeline.
The Islamic Development Bank has already provided Turkmenistan with a loan totaling $700 million for the Turkmen section of TAPI.
It was reported in November 2017 that the Saudi Fund for Development will also allocate funds for the purchase of pipes for the TAPI pipeline.
Recently, UAE business circles have expressed their interest in TAPI gas pipeline.