India has decided to implement the proposed 1,814km-long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project in order to resolve its energy crisis.
In the past, the energy-hungry South Asian nation decided to scrap the project because of arch-rival Pakistan and China’s involvement in it. New Delhi also requested Iran and other West Asian countries to increase the supply of oil and gas to India. However, the ongoing border standoff with neighbouring China and the changing geopolitical landscape in West Asia have prompted the Narendra Modi government in New Delhi to revive the TAPI project.
Speaking at a press conference a couple of days ago, Indian Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said that he discussed the issue with visiting Deputy PM and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov. According to Pradhan, Meredov welcomed India’s decision and urged the Modi government to arrange the next steering committee meeting of the proposed pipeline project as soon as possible.

Merodov said: “I strongly believe in this project, and this is the position of Turkmenistan. It is not just a commercial project, but one which will be a good foundation for providing peace and security in the region.”
India proposed the project way back in 1995, as it wanted to tap Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas-fields – the fourth largest in the world. However, New Delhi has not taken any step to implement the project since its ground-breaking ceremony in December 2015 mainly because of Pakistan and China. China, too, has shown interest in the project, as Turkmenistan is a close partner of the Asian giant in Beijing’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative across Central Asia.

Now, India has changed its decision (once again) in order to ensure a steady supply of oil and gas. With China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative affecting India’s interests, New Delhi plans to join hands with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. During his meeting with the Indian minister, Meredov said that New Delhi made a wise decision as it was important to have a “united approach” on connectivity and economic co-operation in Eurasia. “We must be practical in the implementation of strategic economic projects. China has the Belt and Road initiative, we have similar ideas, India has similar ideas,” he stressed.
The visiting minister further assured Pradhan that Turkmenistan, despite its close ties with China, would boost economic co-operation with India by implementing such projects.

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Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das