The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday held meeting with the high-level delegation of Turkmenistan, which is headed by the Minister of State and the Chairman of Turkmen Gas Maksat Babayev.
The visiting Turkmen delegation included Deputy Minister of Energy Anajildi Sparov, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of BOD, TPCL Muhammad Mirat Amanov, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Pakistan, Atajan Molamov.
While extending a welcome to the delegation to Pakistan, PM Sharif said that Pakistan and Turkmenistan have brotherly ties based on the common history, culture and religion. The Prime Minister said that, “The leadership of the two nations wishes to further promote the economic and trade ties. Pakistan can also be a gateway for immediate access to the rich energy reserves of Turkmenistan.”
It is to be noted that, during the meeting, PM Sharif also emphasized on the Tapi Gas Pipeline project, adding that, “The project is the manifestation of the strategic relations between the Pakistan and Turkmenistan in the energy sector. TAPI is an important component of our governments’ vision to ensure Pakistan’s energy security, which will bring economic growth and prosperity not only to Pakistan but to the entire region.”
He also mentioned about his commitment to speedy implementation of the project and hoped that the project would be completed as soon as possible by utilizing all available resources from all concerned parties. To speed up work on various parts of the TAPI project, PM Sharif has added Special Assistant Dr. Jahanzeb Khan as the focal person on behalf of Pakistan who is also the head of the Senior Coordination Committee.
Following which, PM Sharif also taken part in the inking ceremony of the Tapi Gas Pipeline Joint Implementation Project (JIP) agreement, which was signed by the Minister of State for Petroleum Dr. Mossadegh Malik and Minister of State and Chairman of Turkmen Gas Maksat Babayev.
The JIP aims to speed up the work on the Tapi gas pipeline project. The TAPI Pipeline project aims to transport natural gas from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India through a 1,814 km long pipeline with an annual capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Once operational, the Tapi project will transform the regional energy landscape and contribute significantly to economic prosperity.
