The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) of Pakistan reports that its Acting President Faad Waheed has urged that Pakistan and Turkmenistan should speed up the work on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.
"This will ensure cheap energy and boost industrialization in the country." This was said during a meeting with Mohammad Yaqub Tabani, Turkmenistan's honorary consul in Pakistan.
Waheed stressed that the two countries should introduce easy visa policy for businessmen to facilitate the frequent exchange of trade delegations. "This would help boost two-way trade".
He also termed the establishment of air, road and railway connectivity very important to improve Pakistan’s trade and exports with the Central Asian region.
Tabani, for his part, noted that as a landlocked country, "Turkmenistan wants access through the sea to the outside world and Pakistan provides it shortest route through Karachi and Gwadar ports."
Pakistan continues to believe in the TAPI gas pipeline project, whose construction on the Afghan section is now being discussed with the new Taliban government in Kabul, which came to power in August 2021.
Liquefied natural gas shipments from Turkmenistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan's Kandahar province began this year. The South Asian country is facing a severe fuel shortage and is seeking to diversify its supplies, which previously came mainly from Iran.
Experts told Daryo that in addition to the transnational gas pipeline, the two countries are promoting regional infrastructure projects through Afghanistan, including a power transmission line and a fibre-optic cable.
Eziz Boyarov
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