TURKMENISTAN AND THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN ARE DISCUSSING THE DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF ENERGY

On January 31 - February 4, 2022, under the instruction of the President of Turkmenistan, the delegation of Turkmenistan headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan V. Hadjiyev is in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on a working visit.

On January 31, within the framework of the visit, the delegation of Turkmenistan held a meeting with the Minister of Energy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Hammad Azhar. During the meeting, issues of practical implementation of the projects of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and power transmission lines along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) route were discussed.

The Turkmen side acquainted the Pakistani delegation with the milestones achieved, ongoing work and future plans for the TAPI gas pipeline project and with the conceptual directions for the implementation of the TAP power transmission line project.

The Pakistani side accepted with satisfaction the information provided, expressed gratitude to the Turkmen side for the ongoing large-scale activities on the projects of the TAPI gas pipeline and the TAP power line and emphasized Pakistan's full commitment to the implementation of these projects.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to hold meetings at the level of technical specialists in the near future to discuss the practical implementation of the projects of the TAPI gas pipeline and the TAP power line and the preparation of a Road map for these works.

On the same day, in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a meeting of the Turkmen delegation headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs V. Hadjiyev with the Secretary (Deputy Minister) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Sohail Mahmud took place.

During the talks, the parties discussed issues of cooperation between the two countries in the political-diplomatic, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres. The parties also stressed the need to expand the partnership between the two countries in the field of security.

The parties, emphasizing the importance of the Joint Turkmen-Pakistani intergovernmental commission in strengthening bilateral ties, noted the expediency of holding the next sixth meeting of the commission this year.

In addition, the parties discussed issues related to the implementation of the projects of the TAPI gas pipeline and the TAP power transmission line. The Pakistani side noted that these major projects are necessary to ensure the energy security of the country and stressed that the Government of Pakistan fully supports the implementation of these projects.