Esmatullah Burhan , a spokesman for the Afghan Mining and Oil Ministry , said construction work on the TAPI gas pipeline would resume in four months, Afghan news agency Tolo news reports .

The delay in construction is related to the acquisition of land through which the gas pipeline will be laid. At the moment, it remains to receive about 15% of the territory required to start construction, Burkhan said, adding that the task will be solved in the near future.

In January of this year, representatives of the Taliban (the current government of Afghanistan) visited Ashgabat and announced that the construction of TAPI was planned to be resumed in March. However, this did not happen.

Previously, other project participants have repeatedly expressed concern about the safety of the pipeline. In response, in February 2022, the Taliban presented a plan to ensure the protection of TAPI.

In March, participation in the project was suspended by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which was the coordinator, until "until the Taliban government is recognized by the UN and the major economies of the world." The Taliban, in turn, said that construction would continue without ADB.

In April, during a visit to Turkmenistan, the President of India again raised the issue of TAPI security. The Turkmen side promised to study India's proposals to ensure the safety of the gas pipeline by integrating "principles of doing business."

Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan