Turkmenistan and Afghanistan reached an agreement on electric power supply from Turkmenistan in 2018-2027 and a fourfold increase in electricity exports. The ceremony of signing the Protocol between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Energy and Water of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan took place in the presence of the President of Turkmenistan and the Special Envoy of the President of Afghanistan for the CIS countries.
Before the ceremony President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Special Envoy of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for the Commonwealth of Independent States Mohammad Shaker Kargar.
The Special Envoy of the President of Afghanistan expressed belief that the approaches proposed by the Turkmen leader to address Afghanistan related problems would contribute to peace and stability in his country and thanked the Government and people of Turkmenistan for assistance in strengthening the foundations of peace and social and economic development of his country.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that Turkmenistan was keenly interested in sustainable development of Afghanistan and stood for the peaceful settlement of the situation and the establishment of civil peace in the neighbouring country solely by using the tools and methods of preventive diplomacy. The Turkmen leader reconfirmed the readiness of our country to provide its political space for inter-Afghan peace talks under the auspices of the United Nations and take an active part in developing new political and diplomatic mechanisms to address this issue.
As is known, our country was among the initiators of the peaceful settlement of the protracted armed conflict in Afghanistan. Turkmenistan has been providing effective assistance to Afghanistan by supplying electricity and liquefied gas, building industrial and social facilities and delivering humanitarian aid on a regular basis to Afghan citizens in the border regions. In particular, Turkmenistan funded the construction of the medical centre and school in Afghanistan at the initiative of the Turkmen leader.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly with other government agencies developed the programme which provides for the construction of social facilities, the opening of a shopping centre, the delivery of humanitarian goods, etc. In the framework of the programme the construction work on a maternity hospital for 20 patients in the border village Turghundi in Herat province is being carried out on the instructions of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The Turkmen leader and the Special Envoy of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan exchanged views on the prospects for promoting interstate cooperation in a number of key areas.
The discussion focused on cooperation for the implementation of the ambitious projects initiated by the Turkmen side, including Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and the railway from Turkmenistan to Tajikistan via Afghanistan. The parties agreed that the Turkmen side would build the section of railway which would run to Andkhoi on the territory of Afghanistan.
The sides were unanimous that the implementation of new joint infrastructure projects would give a powerful stimulus to promote economic development and address social issues in Afghanistan, which will have an overall positive effect on the situation in Afghanistan and the entire region.
The talks resulted in an agreement to increase the supply of fuels produced in Turkmenistan, in particular petroleum products and liquefied gas, to Afghanistan, reflecting the agreed position on pricing issues. An exchange of views on the possibility of increasing electricity exports from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan took place.
The construction of a 500 KV overhead power line, which is nearing completion, was launched in order to increase electricity exports to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Moreover, the implementation of this ambitious project will make it possible to export electricity from Turkmenistan to Tajikistan and Pakistan via Afghanistan.
It is planned to build a high-voltage overhead power line on the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in order to build the power system capable of receiving an increased amount of electricity exported by our country which will allow establishing cooperation in the power sector not only with Afghanistan, but also with other countries in the region.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Turkmenistan Mohammad Fazil Saifi attended the meeting.
Before the meeting with the President of Turkmenistan, the Afghan delegation that had arrived in Ashgabat to discuss the prospects of cooperation in the power sector and the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Power Sector between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, held talks at the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and the Turkmenenergo State Power Corporation. The sides discussed the prospects of interstate cooperation in the power sector, in particular the conditions of long-term electricity purchase and sale and the amount of electricity exports.
Before the ceremony President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Special Envoy of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for the Commonwealth of Independent States Mohammad Shaker Kargar.
The Special Envoy of the President of Afghanistan expressed belief that the approaches proposed by the Turkmen leader to address Afghanistan related problems would contribute to peace and stability in his country and thanked the Government and people of Turkmenistan for assistance in strengthening the foundations of peace and social and economic development of his country.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that Turkmenistan was keenly interested in sustainable development of Afghanistan and stood for the peaceful settlement of the situation and the establishment of civil peace in the neighbouring country solely by using the tools and methods of preventive diplomacy. The Turkmen leader reconfirmed the readiness of our country to provide its political space for inter-Afghan peace talks under the auspices of the United Nations and take an active part in developing new political and diplomatic mechanisms to address this issue.
As is known, our country was among the initiators of the peaceful settlement of the protracted armed conflict in Afghanistan. Turkmenistan has been providing effective assistance to Afghanistan by supplying electricity and liquefied gas, building industrial and social facilities and delivering humanitarian aid on a regular basis to Afghan citizens in the border regions. In particular, Turkmenistan funded the construction of the medical centre and school in Afghanistan at the initiative of the Turkmen leader.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly with other government agencies developed the programme which provides for the construction of social facilities, the opening of a shopping centre, the delivery of humanitarian goods, etc. In the framework of the programme the construction work on a maternity hospital for 20 patients in the border village Turghundi in Herat province is being carried out on the instructions of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The Turkmen leader and the Special Envoy of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan exchanged views on the prospects for promoting interstate cooperation in a number of key areas.
The discussion focused on cooperation for the implementation of the ambitious projects initiated by the Turkmen side, including Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and the railway from Turkmenistan to Tajikistan via Afghanistan. The parties agreed that the Turkmen side would build the section of railway which would run to Andkhoi on the territory of Afghanistan.
The sides were unanimous that the implementation of new joint infrastructure projects would give a powerful stimulus to promote economic development and address social issues in Afghanistan, which will have an overall positive effect on the situation in Afghanistan and the entire region.
The talks resulted in an agreement to increase the supply of fuels produced in Turkmenistan, in particular petroleum products and liquefied gas, to Afghanistan, reflecting the agreed position on pricing issues. An exchange of views on the possibility of increasing electricity exports from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan took place.
The construction of a 500 KV overhead power line, which is nearing completion, was launched in order to increase electricity exports to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Moreover, the implementation of this ambitious project will make it possible to export electricity from Turkmenistan to Tajikistan and Pakistan via Afghanistan.
It is planned to build a high-voltage overhead power line on the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in order to build the power system capable of receiving an increased amount of electricity exported by our country which will allow establishing cooperation in the power sector not only with Afghanistan, but also with other countries in the region.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Turkmenistan Mohammad Fazil Saifi attended the meeting.
Before the meeting with the President of Turkmenistan, the Afghan delegation that had arrived in Ashgabat to discuss the prospects of cooperation in the power sector and the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Power Sector between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, held talks at the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and the Turkmenenergo State Power Corporation. The sides discussed the prospects of interstate cooperation in the power sector, in particular the conditions of long-term electricity purchase and sale and the amount of electricity exports.