Taliban officials have expressed hope that the TAPI project will begin in the spring of next year

Taliban Foreign Ministry officials say the group is fully prepared for the TAPI project and is expected to begin work next spring.

“We hope to reach an agreement as soon as possible on the launch of the TAPI project on a specific date in the month of June,” Shafi Azam, the Taliban’s foreign ministry chief of economic affairs, told TOLOnews. “We hope that work on other projects, such as Top, will begin.”

The Taliban have expressed hope for the launch of the TAPI project, as Pakistani media have previously reported that the ADB has stopped funding the TAPI project due to the international community’s non-recognition of the group’s government.

The TAPI project will stretch for about 1,800 km, and if completed, about 33 billion cubic meters of Turkmen natural gas will be transported annually through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.