Members of the Taliban government during the opening of an oil field in Sarpol province, northern Afghanistan (Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum)

After 20 years of US-led war in Afghanistan, Central Asia is becoming increasingly connected to Afghanistan and building the foundation for sustainable economic growth, with several major projects of interest to the region and Afghanistan awaiting implementation.

In a report published by the American “Oil Price” website, writer James Durso said that in February, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaki headed a delegation to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, to hold talks on completing the 1,600-kilometre-long natural gas pipeline between Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. .

Although Afghanistan will receive only 5% of the annual flow of 33 billion cubic meters, the completion of the project will be a political victory for the ruling Taliban movement in Afghanistan.

The two sides also discussed the construction of a high-voltage power transmission line between Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the construction of railway lines from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan.

In January, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan agreed to sell 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours of power to Kabul for 2024 and complete the power transmission line.

Tajikistan plans to increase electricity sales to Afghanistan by 17% despite energy rationing locally.

The two countries have an electricity supply agreement that extends until 2028.

The agreements concluded with Turkmenistan and Tajikistan will supplement electricity imports from Uzbekistan, which were halted in January 2022 due to a technical malfunction.

A reliable electricity supply would strengthen the Taliban's claim to rule the country and make them more attractive as a partner in projects.

The Chinese ambassador presents his credentials to the Taliban government in Afghanistan (Afghan Press)

Good neighbor

Cable recently showed that she can be a good neighbor in the best possible way by paying her bills.

Kabul has paid the amounts due for energy, which range from 40 to 50 million dollars.

The natural gas pipeline between Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India has suffered numerous delays, the latest of which was the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Washington and Ashgabat are holding discussions about a possible easing of sanctions on the Islamic Emirate, so the project may take off.

The ongoing tension between Pakistan and India may make Delhi doubt Islamabad's desire to keep the gas pipeline open during the crisis.

An additional concern is the extent to which the Taliban can secure the pipeline against ISIS attacks.

In another project, the “CASA-1000” project, it is planned to provide 1,300 megawatts of surplus electricity produced by hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the summer months through a new energy infrastructure extending over a distance of 1,300 kilometers.

The $1.2 billion project was scheduled to be completed by 2024, but may be delayed if exemptions from sanctions imposed by Washington are needed to complete the Afghan phase of the project.

According to the writer, Tashkent recently received Qatar’s support for the 573-kilometre trans-Afghanistan railway line to connect Uzbekistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan.

Although the project will mostly support trade between Pakistan and Central Asia, Afghanistan will also benefit.

Gosh Tepe Water Canal

Iran, which has increased its trade with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, is formalizing relations with Kabul.

Iran's policy is that Afghanistan needs an inclusive government, and the two countries have clashed over Tehran's access to the waters of the Helmand River, but Iran welcomed Kabul's $35 million investment in the port of Chabahar and handed over the Afghan embassy to the Taliban government.

Afghanistan, the “heart of Asia,” may become a security source of sorts for the region if it succeeds in stifling ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

But real progress will come when you engage constructively with the Central Asian republics, Iran, and Pakistan on critical concerns like climate change and water management.

At the beginning of this month, Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiur Saidov headed a delegation to Kabul to meet with the leaders of the emirate.

According to the emirate, the Uzbek side pledged to support the "Gosh Tepe" water canal, agreed to send a technical team to support the project, and also agreed to accept the emirate's ambassador.

The emirate can signal its good intentions by supporting the Uzbek technical team and submitting a petition to join the Inter-State Water Coordination Committee in Central Asia so that it can join the governance structures in the region.

Source: Oil Price