ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Issues related to pricing for a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan will be settled at a later date, the Indian petroleum minister said ahead of a signing ceremony.
Indian Petroleum Minister Murli Deora arrived Thursday in Turkmenistan for a ceremony to express political backing for the planned 1,043-mile Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline.
India and Pakistan are set to get 1.2 billion cubic feet of gas each year from the pipeline, with Afghanistan set for the remaining 700 million cf expected from Turkmenistan natural gas fields.
The government of Turkmenistan is weighing various pricing schemes for the planned pipeline though Deora said he would go ahead with the signing and deal with price later, Indian newspaper The Hindu reports.
"The pricing issue will come when the consuming nations sign the gas sale purchase agreement with Turkmenistan, expected at a later date," he was quoted as saying.
Pakistani Prime Minister Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will represent their countries during the signing ceremony in Ashgabat. Deora will serve Indian interests as top leaders are in Belgium for a summit with European officials.
TAPI is seen as a rival to Iran's plans to build a natural gas pipeline through Pakistan and India.
