On Wednesday, a delegation of Turkmenistan headed by the State Minister, Chairman of the State Concern “Turkmengas” M. Babayev and Deputy Minister of Energy of Turkmenistan A. Saparov arrived in Islamabad for a two-day visit to discuss the implementation of the TAPI gas pipeline project and the TAP power transmission line project.
On the same day, Turkmen representatives met with a Pakistani delegation led by Federal Minister of Energy Khurram Dastgir Khan and Minister of State for Energy (Petroleum Department) Musadiq Malik.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the projects for the construction of the transnational gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) and the power transmission line and fiber-optic communication line Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP). It was noted that significant progress has been made in terms of the practical implementation of the TAPI project.
The parties also noted that the TAP power line will run parallel to the TAPI gas pipeline. This will not only provide electricity to the gas pipeline and its facilities, but will also play a significant role in meeting Pakistan's domestic and industrial electricity needs and reducing electricity costs.
The Pakistani side assured that the TAPI and TAP projects have the full support of the Government of Pakistan, as they are of crucial importance for the socio-economic prosperity of the region.
An agreement was reached between the parties to maintain regular contacts between the technical working groups of the two countries on the implementation of joint energy projects, reports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.