By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Turkmenistan’s National Leader and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, held talks with Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Abdul Ghani Baradar, during a working visit to the Mary region and Afghanistan, with the development of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline among the key issues discussed.
Berd Berdimuhamedov travelled from the Islim-Cheshme border area in the Serhetabat district to Afghanistan, where he was received by Baradar and members of the two countries’ delegations. Welcoming the Turkmen leader, Baradar said relations between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan were rooted in the shared history, culture and spiritual values of the two peoples.
Berd Berdimuhamedov also praised Turkmenistan’s policy of neutrality and its humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. He said the Turkmen and Afghan peoples were brothers and described their common border as a border of friendship.
The two sides discussed the TAPI pipeline and the Serhetabat-Herat section, known as “Arkadagyň ak ýoly” or “Arkadag’s White Path”, describing the project as an important symbol of cooperation and good-neighbourly relations between the two countries.
The talks were later expanded to include official delegations from both sides. Officials reviewed trade, economic and energy cooperation, with particular attention to the TAPI project and related infrastructure.
Baradar called for the creation of a joint mechanism involving relevant agencies from both countries to ensure regular coordination and accelerate work on TAPI. He also expressed Afghanistan’s interest in benefiting from Turkmenistan’s experience in training specialists for the gas industry, particularly for jobs expected to emerge from the pipeline project.
Transport and logistics cooperation was also discussed. Both sides highlighted the importance of the Lapis Lazuli international transport corridor in strengthening links between Central and South Asia.
The corridor was established through a five-country agreement signed in Ashgabat in 2017, linking Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Berdimuhamedov has previously proposed measures to improve the corridor’s efficiency and expand its use.
The talks also covered cooperation in education, science and culture. The two sides discussed increasing the number of Afghan students studying in Turkmenistan and expanding the training of specialists, particularly in areas related to the gas sector.
Berd Berdimuhamedov proposed establishing a Turkmen-Afghan commission on economic cooperation to strengthen the legal framework for joint projects.
The meeting concluded with the recitation of verses from the Quran and the screening of videos showing progress on the Serhetabat-Herat section of the TAPI pipeline.
A memorandum of understanding was subsequently signed between Turkmengaz, the Turkmen state gas concern, and Afghanistan’s Afghan Gas state corporation.
The agreement was followed by a traditional sadaka ceremony attended by Berdimuhamedov, Baradar and members of the two delegations.
The Turkmen leader later returned to Mary before flying back to Ashgabat, where he was received by senior officials at the capital’s international airport.
