Representatives of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India have met to signal the start of construction of the Afghan segment of an ambitious new gas export pipeline, writes Vladimir Afanasiev.

Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Abbasi and India Minister for External Affairs Shri Akbar attended a ceremony at the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan border post of Serkhetabat at the end of last week.

The Turkmenistan-backed Tapi pipeline is planned to potentially carry up to 33 billion cubic metres per annum of gas from the Galkynysh group of fields in southeast Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

The Tapi gas pipeline would run for a total length of about 1840 kilometres, with about 1600 kilometres laid in Afghanistan and Pakistan and terminating at Fazilka in India, near the Pakistan border.

During the ceremony, leaders suggested the pipeline may become operational as early as 2020, though industry analysts believe this is optimistic.

Berdymukhamedov later acknowledged that Turkmenistan is still working on its 200-kilometre segment of the pipeline, despite construction reportedly having started at the end of 2015.

Berdymukhamedov has been a key driving force behind the project, which was originally proposed in the early 1990s.

However, the plan was later scrapped because of security concerns and political instability in the region.

More recently, Berdymukhamedov has encouraged a revival of the Tapi plans, though there are still significant security issues to be overcome for a route that not only runs through troubled Afghanistan but would also depend on good relations between India and Pakistan.

Some still doubt the extent of India's commitment to Tapi but this week officials were insisting that the nation is "strongly committed" to the project.

China has become Turkmenistan’s key gas export market during Berdymukhamedov's tenure, following the break-down of traditional ties between the country and Russian gas monopoly Gazprom 10 years ago.

However, Berdymukhamedov has called for diversification of gas export routes from Turkmenistan.

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Afghans start on Tapi pipe