Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that officials from Turkmenistan and the Taliban signed several economic cooperation agreements during a meeting in Ashgabat on Friday, August 30.
These agreements focus on advancing joint projects in the energy and transportation sectors.
Hidayatullah Badri, the Taliban’s Minister of Mines and Petroleum, led the Taliban delegation, which included representatives from the Breshna Company and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Public Works. The meeting aimed to strengthen bilateral economic relations between Turkmenistan and the Taliban.
Among the agreements signed were initiatives for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAPI) power transmission line and the construction of facilities for the Torghundi railway line. Additionally, an agreement was reached between the companies involved in the TAPI project in Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, though specifics were not disclosed.
While Turkmenistan does not officially recognise the Taliban, it maintains substantial economic ties with the group.
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, stated after a virtual meeting with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov that Turkmenistan aims to "start work on the TAPI project in Afghanistan soon”.
On August 8, Baradar and Meredov discussed practical steps for implementing the TAPI project in Afghanistan, expanding the railway station at Torghundi port, and developing comprehensive transit and transportation facilities.
The TAPI project, inaugurated in December 2015 in Ashgabat by leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Turkmenistan, is an 1,800-kilometre pipeline valued at $10 billion. It was initially slated for completion by 2019 but faced delays due to security issues in Afghanistan.
The pipeline begins in western Turkmenistan, travels through Herat and Kandahar in Afghanistan, continues to Quetta and Multan in Pakistan, and ends in western India.
The Taliban have confirmed that all legal stages of the TAPI project are complete and are prepared to collaborate on its implementation.