ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 24 (UPI) -- The government in Turkmenistan is instructed to carry out construction and design for a natural gas pipeline to India, the Turkmen president said.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a resolution authorizing the start of construction for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline, the news agency Turkmenistan.ru reports.
The 1,044-mile TAPI pipeline is seen as a rival to the Iran-Pakistani-India pipeline from the South Pars gas field in Iran. Security of the TAPI route through Afghanistan is an impediment, though in 2008 the Afghan government made several pledges to relieve those concerns.
TAPI is favored by Western powers over the South Pars option because of diplomatic concerns with dealing with Iran.
"The new gas pipeline will connect the eastern region of the country, where the largest natural gas reserves are concentrated, with the rapidly developing central and Caspian region of Turkmenistan," Berdimuhamedov said.
Work is set to begin on the TAPI pipeline in June. It should start moving gas toward India by 2015.
