The TAPI pipeline project took centre stage during talks between Turkmenistan’s National Leader and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, and Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Abdul Ghani Baradar.
Berd Berdimuhamedov visited the Mary velayat before travelling to Afghanistan through the Islim-Cheshme border zone in Serhetabat Etrap. During the visit, he met Afghan officials and held bilateral talks with Baradar on economic, energy, transport and humanitarian cooperation.
Baradar welcomed the Turkmen leader and highlighted the longstanding ties between the two countries, which he said reflect their shared history, cultural values and close neighbourly relations. He also thanked Turkmenistan for its continued humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
Both sides highlighted the importance of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline as a major symbol of economic cooperation and good-neighbourly relations. Particular attention focused on the Serhetabat-Herat section, known as “Arkadagyň ak ýoly”, or “Arkadag’s White Path”.
Baradar called for a joint mechanism involving relevant agencies from both countries to maintain regular coordination and accelerate work on the TAPI project. He also expressed Afghanistan’s interest in learning from Turkmenistan’s experience in training specialists for the gas industry.
Berd Berdimuhamedov said the talks identified key areas for cooperation in fuel and energy, transport and power infrastructure. The two sides also discussed measures to strengthen trade and economic ties through joint projects.
Transport and logistics formed another important part of the discussions. Both sides stressed the strategic importance of the Lapis Lazuli international transport corridor, which links Afghanistan with Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye.
The five countries signed an agreement in Ashgabat in 2017 to establish the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye transport corridor. Turkmenistan has since proposed measures to improve the corridor’s efficiency and expand its role in regional connectivity.
The talks also covered education, science and humanitarian cooperation. The two sides discussed increasing the number of Afghan students studying in Turkmenistan and training qualified specialists for various sectors, particularly the gas industry jobs expected to emerge from the TAPI project.
Berd Berdimuhamedov proposed establishing a Turkmen-Afghan commission on economic cooperation to strengthen the legal framework for joint projects and improve bilateral coordination.
The visit concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Turkmenistan’s state concern Türkmengaz and Afghanistan’s state corporation Afghan Gas. The agreement followed presentations on progress made on the Serhetabat-Herat section of the TAPI pipeline.
The visit also included a ceremonial gathering attended by Berdimuhamedov, Baradar and members of both delegations. Berdimuhamedov later returned to Ashgabat after completing his working visit.
