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UAE to aid Turkmenistan project

Atul Aneja

ABU DHABI: Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has approached the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for participation in the proposed pipeline project that would bring natural gas from Turkmenistan in Central Asia to India. Asked to comment on India's decision to participate in the project, Mr. Karzai, who is on a two-day visit to the UAE told a group of journalists on Tuesday that the project was "extremely important."

The Afghan President said that he had sought UAE's involvement in the project that envisages the pipeline's transit across Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan would also be a major consumer of this gas, while Afghanistan would benefit from the transit fee once the pipeline is completed. The UAE President, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said after talks with Mr. Karzai on Monday that his country was ready to offer all assistance that would help Afghanistan achieve security, stability and development.

The proposed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline would pass through the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan border to reach Multan in Pakistan, covering a distance of 1,270 km. Another 640 km would be added to extend the pipeline to India.

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