report on TOLOnews, Apr 29, 2023 at 8:41 PM
It has been two years since the Islamic Emirate takeover of the country, but there has been no reported start to practical work on the TAPI pipeline project.
Previously, officials of the Islamic Emirate talked about beginning of practical work on this project.
Some economists believe that the lack of support from the World Bank plus regional rivalries have caused the work on the project to be suspended.
“I think that the TAPI project is involved in regional competition, either between Pakistan and India, or between Iran and Turkmenistan, or Turkmenistan – Qatar, which is actually India’s main gas donor,” said Sayed Masoud, an economist.
“The reluctance of donor organizations such as the Asian Development Bank to finance this project is because the Taliban regime has not yet been recognized and another more serious and important issue is the unhealthy regional rivalry between India and Pakistan,” said Mer Shikib Mer, an economist.
What is the benefit of the TAPI project for Afghanistan?
“The TAPI pipeline will give Afghanistan the opportunity to become an important transit route for energy in the region, and with the implementation of this pipeline, the integration of Afghanistan with Central Asia and South Asia will be easier or faster,” said Seyar Qurishi, an economist.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economics said that the Islamic Emirate is trying to start the work on the TAPI project.
According to the ministry, dialogue is continuing not only for the TAPI project but also for the CASA-1000 project.
“We are hopeful that the World Bank will support the TAPI project and CASA-1000 and the countries of the region should play a role in the economic growth and development of the country,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy.
Earlier, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said that the technical work on the TAPI project ended and there are no problems with this project. At the same time, the land acquisition work for this project is also going on in Herat province.
https://tolonews.com/business-183153
