Photo: Shell

BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 11. Afghanistan has called on Turkmenistan to cooperate in establishing a gas distribution and consumption network in Herat Province under the TAPI project.

This was announced in a report published by the Office of the Prime Minister of Afghanistan.

According to the report, Afghanistan's Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund also called for establishing a joint technical and legal commission to resolve the remaining issues related to the TAPI project.

In turn, National Leader of the Turkmen People Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stated that Turkmenistan is ready to cooperate in establishing a gas distribution network in Herat, the publication said.

“The TAPI project has further strengthened the strategic cooperation between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan,” the publication quoted Baradar as saying.

He further called for joint efforts to create more employment opportunities for Afghans within the project.

The sides also discussed future joint economic activities between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

Meanwhile, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline is a planned 1,800-kilometer natural gas pipeline designed to transport up to 33 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Turkmenistan’s giant Galkynysh field to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Ashgabat views the project as one of the main routes for diversifying gas exports and strengthening regional economic integration.

The gas resource base for TAPI is the Galkynysh field, one of the world's largest gas deposits with estimated reserves exceeding 27 trillion cubic meters. In April 2026, Turkmengaz and China's CNPC launched the fourth phase of the field's development. The project involves the construction of new production facilities and the drilling of wells, which will enable the additional production of up to 10 billion cubic meters of commercial gas per year.

In early June, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School noted in its analysis that the TAPI gas pipeline is being re-anchored in regional energy discussions as a structured mechanism for regional energy flows, connecting Turkmenistan’s gas resources with demand centers in South Asia.