Ashgabat (Trend News Agency) – A meeting was held with a delegation from the Afghan Ministry of Mines at the Turkmen Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper said.

The implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) construction project was the main topic of the talks. Confirming the need for rapid implementation of the TAPI project, the parties agreed on a number of economic and technical issues associated with laying out a transnational power line through the territory of neighbouring countries, the newspaper said.

According to the project feasibility study, the 1,735 km-TAPI gas pipeline will begin in eastern Turkmenistan, where the largest gas fields are located. Passing through the territory of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the pipeline will reach the Fazilka settlement in India, along the Pakistan-Indian border.

More than 30 billion m³ of Turkmen natural gas will be supplied through the pipeline in a single year.

The main provisions of a number of intergovernmental documents were also specified within the meeting.

They are planned for consideration during the next TAPI project meeting by the technical working group and steering committee.

The vital importance of creating a new transnational energy corridor was also stressed. The corridor is designed to become a bridge of cooperation in this strategically important area, and to strengthen economic potential. The pipeline will resolve a number of important social and humanitarian issues. The new corridor will have a positive impact on strengthening peace and stability in the Asian region, especially in Afghanistan.

The Vatan newspaper said that representatives of the Afghan side expressed their full support for the official Ashgabat peacekeeping policy, as well as for constructive international initiatives.