RASC News Agency: The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of the Taliban group has recently announced a meeting between Shahabuddin Delawar, the acting minister of the ministry, and Khawaja Awadov, the ambassador of Turkmenistan in Kabul. This significant meeting took place on Wednesday, January 10th, in the capital city of Afghanistan. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a range of crucial issues, and both parties had the opportunity to exchange their views.
According to available information, the TAPI project, involving the transmission of gas through a pipeline from Turkmenistan to India via Afghanistan and Pakistan, officially commenced practical work in Herat province in 2018. However, due to security threats posed by the Taliban, the progress of this project had to be temporarily halted. After gaining control of the country, the Taliban group has repeatedly expressed their desire for the implementation of the TAPI project and assured that they would provide security for its continuation. Nevertheless, an official timeline for the resumption of work on the TAPI project has not been established yet.
The TAPI project holds great potential for Afghanistan, promising not only to create employment opportunities for thousands of individuals but also offering the country an annual transit rights revenue of over $400 million. However, it is important to note that Afghanistan, currently under the control of the Taliban group, is grappling with severe economic and humanitarian crises. Despite these challenges, reports suggest that the officials of the Taliban group have not prioritized finding solutions to alleviate these crises. The implementation of the TAPI project could potentially contribute to the economic recovery of Afghanistan, but it remains to be seen when the project will resume its operations.
