Ashgabat, Kabul host joint business forum

By Trend

A joint Turkmen-Afghan business forum took place in Ashgabat, Trend reports on Feb. 28 referring to the Turkmen foreign ministry.

The event was attended by officials including representatives of several ministries and entrepreneurs of the two countries.

The forum participants discussed issues related to the commercial-economic partnership, prospects for increasing import and export between the countries, expansion of investments, simplification of trade procedures and establishment of direct business contacts.

The parties agreed to promote relations in the energy, transport and logistics sector, the communications and industry, oil gas and construction sectors.

Turkmenistan ranks among the top 10 main suppliers of goods to Afghanistan.

A Trade House of Turkmenistan has recently started functioning in the Afghan city of Mazari Sharif.

As a part of the bilateral agreements, a number of projects are under way, including those on preferential power and LNG supply of Afghanistan.

The sustainable socio-economic development of the Central Asia region can be ensured by large-scale projects including the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan (TAT) railroad and Lapis Lazuli transport corridor along Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey transport corridor.

The agreement on transit and transport cooperation Lapis Lazuli between Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Turkmenistan was signed on Nov. 15, 2017 at the ministerial meeting of the 7th Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan in Ashgabat.

The construction of the Afghan section of the pipeline was initiated in February 2018, while the construction of the Pakistani section is planned to be launched in 2020.

The Turkmengas State Concern is the leader of the TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd. international consortium. It acts as the main financier and manager of the project. The consortium also includes Afghan Gas Corporation, Pakistan’s Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited Company and India’s GAIL Company.