Final Round of TAPI Fee Talks Next Month

The final round of talks to decide upon the transit fee for the ambitious Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline is expected to take place next month.

The next round of talks is scheduled to be held in Ashgabat in Turkmenistan on May 6.

Earlier this month India, Pakistan and Afghanistan has met in Islamabad but no breakthrough could be achieved as India showed its reluctance to accept and pay the transit fee being asked by Afghanistan. Some media reports had however suggested that the three countries has agreed upon the transit fee.

A report in the Hindu said that India was not keen to pay a transit fee of 50 cents per million metric British thermal unit but may now agree stretch the figure to 47 cents.

The newspaper also said that Pakistan and India have agreed in principle that Pakistan would charge the same transit fee that India would pay to Afghanistan for transportation of gas through its territory. The pricing of gas has been agreed between Turkmenistan and India.