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Oil And Gas Ministers to Discuss Central Asian Gas Pipeline Project

Monday, April 7, 2003
(12:29 PM CT)
Asia Pulse

Lessons gained particularly on regional integration and cooperation can set a precedent for developing other large-scale infrastructure projects that would connect the countries of Western Asia.

MANILA -- AAP
The oil and gas ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan will gather in the Philippine capital for the Fifth Steering Committee Meeting to discuss the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project (TAP Project) on 8-9 April 2003, the Asian Development Bank said.

The meeting will consider the report on the market study for Turkmen gas in Pakistan and northern India. The Steering Committee will discuss key issues relating to the structure and the salient points of various agreements being drafted as part of ADB assistance to the project. The drafts include the Host Country Agreement, Transport Agreement, and Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement.

The Manila meeting will also consider the way forward and future plans, including a formal invitation to India to participate in the TAP Project.

"The 1,600-kilometer gas pipeline project to transport up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from the Dauletabad fields in southeast Turkmenistan to consumers in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and possibly India has significant potential for enhancing stability and improving living standards in South and Central Asia," said ADB Director-General, South Asia Department, Yoshihiro Iwasaki in a statement.
(More: Afghan News Network)
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2003 © Afghan News Network

Dan