Role of Uzbekistan in TAPI Project Could be Discussed

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are likely to discuss possibility of latter’s participation in constructing of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) gas pipeline on July 31 during a meeting of the Uzbek-Turkmen commission on trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation, reports Trend News Agency.

Uzbekistan's position on this issue and the conditions of the country's participation in the project was not yet clear, the news agency adds.

The TAPI pipeline will originate from Turkmenistan and terminate at the Pakistan-India border.  According to Trend News Agency, 200 kilometers of the gas pipeline will be laid in the territory of Turkmenistan, 735 kilometers - Afghanistan, 800 kilometers - Pakistan.

Currently, Uzbekistan participates in the construction of the Central Asia-China gas pipeline. The gas pipeline is intended for natural gas export from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to China.

Earlier this month, the four countries signed the operational agreement pertaining to the $7.6 billion project. Asian Development Bank was last year appointed as transaction adviser. The four countries have asked the ADB to find out the lead consortium by November this year so that construction work could be kicked off in the four countries as soon as possible. The TAPI project is scheduled to be completed by end of 2017.