Islamabad: Turkmenistan is actively seeking to enhance its partnership with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to accelerate the implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project, as reported by the Trend News Agency citing Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry.

According to Trend News Agency, the initiative was discussed during the visit of Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov to Pakistan, where he participated in the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government. The discussions highlighted Turkmenistan’s intent to leverage its current relationship with the SCO to boost cooperation in critical areas such as transport, communications, energy, trade, and investment.

The focus was particularly strong on the TAPI project, which is seen as a pivotal endeavor for enhancing energy security in the region. This large-scale pipeline project, which began construction in Turkmenistan on December 13, 2015, aims to transport natural gas across Afghanistan and Pakista
n to India, supplying 33 billion cubic meters of gas annually.

Turkmenistan, a significant gas supplier, is crucial for the development of this pipeline. The country is striving to diversify its energy export routes and fortify economic ties within the region through this project.