ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, April 22 (UPI) -- Pakistani energy officials arrived in Turkmenistan on Wednesday to discuss gas from the Dovletabad field for re-export through the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline.
Asim Hussain, the top energy adviser to Islamabad, led a five-member team to Ashgabat to hold talks on gas imports and the Western-backed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline.
Hussain told Pakistan's daily The News International that if there were no major breakthroughs on the TAPI pipeline, Turkmenistan could ship its gas through IPI.
"Pakistan has decided to ask Turkmenistan to give its share of gas under the TAPI project to Iran, which will provide the same to Pakistan through IPI gas line," he said, adding that Islamabad was close to a deal on IPI with Tehran.
Talks on the IPI project have languished for decades over concerns about pricing mechanisms and disputes between New Delhi and Islamabad. In that light, Iranian officials have taken to referring to the project simply as the Iran-Pakistan pipeline.
Both projects are hampered by security concerns along the intended route.
Turkmenistan supplies gas to Iran currently under a 1997 deal.
