The Taliban and Turkmenistan agreed to launch the TAPI project in March

The Taliban Foreign Ministry announced that a high-ranking Taliban delegation headed by Acting Minister Amir Khan Mottaki had met with Turkmen officials and that the two sides had agreed to launch the TAPI project in March.

Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi announced on his Twitter account today that Taliban acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaqi had headed a high-level delegation to Turkmenistan and that the delegation had met with Turkmen officials.

Balkhi stressed that the talks focused on improving bilateral political and economic relations, security cooperation and the launch of the TAPI project, adding that the two sides agreed to use Afghanistan as a transit route between Central and South Asia. Emphasis is placed on the transfer of liquefied natural gas, minerals and foodstuffs, and commercial property through this route.

He also announced the possibility of launching the TAPI project and extending the railway in March this year, and said that during these meetings, the officials of the two countries had emphasized holding a meeting on the TAPI project on January 22 in Kabul.

Pakistani officials have previously said that it is impossible to start the TAPI project in Afghanistan until the security threats are eliminated.