Afghanistan-Turkmenistan Economic Ties Grow Amid TAPI Developments

Central Asian countries, including Turkmenistan, have increased their relations with Afghanistan in recent years and, alongside trade ties, are pursuing major economic projects in the fields of electricity, gas transmission, and railway lines.

Statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce show that the volume of trade with this country increased last year compared to the previous year. Kabul and Ashgabat conducted more than $900 million in trade in 2025.

Abdul Shukor Hadawal, an economic analyst, said: “If the Islamic Emirate and Turkmenistan provide more facilities for traders, the scope of trade will further expand. Not only will goods become more easily available in the markets of both countries, but their prices will also decrease on a larger scale.”

At the same time, Hedayatullah Badri, the Minister of Mines and Petroleum of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, met with Khoja Ovezov, Turkmenistan’s ambassador in Kabul, and Mohammad Murad Amanov, head of the TAPI project.

During the meeting, both sides discussed the progress of the TAPI project, land acquisition along the pipeline route, and the strengthening of bilateral relations.

Badri asked TAPI project officials to provide greater cooperation in creating employment opportunities for local residents, timely sharing of work plans, and improving the capacity of Afghan engineers.

Another economic analyst, Qutbuddin Yaqubi, said about the importance of the TAPI project: “Once this project is completed, Afghanistan will not only gain revenue from its transit but will also be able to better use it to supply energy for industries and factories.”

Meanwhile, a number of economic experts emphasize that expanding economic relations with Central Asian countries, especially Turkmenistan, can play an important role in developing trade, increasing transit, and strengthening Afghanistan’s infrastructure projects.

Another economic analyst, Abdul Nasir Reshtia, added: “We have very good relations with Turkmenistan in three key sectors. We import electricity from Turkmenistan, as well as petroleum products and gas, and some basic goods from this country. In return, we export a certain amount of dried fruits and some other items.”

The TAPI project is considered one of the most important regional gas transmission projects, which is planned to transfer Turkmenistan’s gas through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.