The Taliban announced that Mullah Hasan Akhund, the group's Prime Minister, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, the President of Turkmenistan, inaugurated the TAPI project along with other development projects between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan in the city of Mary on Wednesday.
According to the Taliban, the President of Turkmenistan participated in the ceremony via video conference.
The Taliban’s Prime Minister, along with a delegation, travelled to Turkmenistan on Wednesday morning. In a statement, the Taliban expressed congratulations to the people of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan on the historic inauguration of the TAPI project.
During the ceremony, Mullah Hasan Akhund remarked that the launch of TAPI and the development projects in oil, gas, energy, and transport sectors reflect the goodwill and wise policies of Turkmenistan’s national leadership and officials. He emphasised that these projects will strengthen the friendship between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, instructing Taliban officials to work with "integrity, dedication, and tireless effort" to complete the projects.
According to the Taliban, President Berdimuhamedow stated during the video conference that friendly, brotherly, and good-neighbourly relations between the two countries are expanding. He highlighted the importance of these projects not only for the benefit of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan but for the entire region. He further noted that cooperation with the Afghan people in economic, political, and diplomatic fields is a key component of Turkmenistan’s policy.
The TAPI pipeline, which will transport gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India, is one of the region's largest infrastructure projects. The pipeline stretches 1,821 kilometres with an annual capacity of 33 billion cubic metres of gas. The Taliban stated that Afghanistan's annual revenue from transit fees will be $400 million.
In 2017, Afghanistan’s former President Ashraf Ghani, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and India's former Minister of State for External Affairs, MJ Akbar, officially inaugurated the project in Mary, Turkmenistan. At that time, the Taliban had expressed support for the project, pledging to ensure its security in areas under its control.
