Whereas only one month earlier it seemed that the Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan – India (TAPI) pipeline was on track, at the meeting of the TAPI steering committee in Ashgabat on July 10th, in which delegates from the four participating countries reaffirmed their commitment to the project, agreeing to form a company that would begin operations in September, and setting a target for completion of the pipeline network by 2017. In mid-July, after nearly 20 years of negotiations, Turkmenistan inked a 30-year gas deal with Afghanistan. Skepticism towards the viability of this project now seems well justified, as tensions between Pakistan and India, as well as instability in Afghanistan, are a major obstacle to TAPI.
Talks on TAPI were put on hold after Pakistan refused to participate in a meeting scheduled for August 22 in India, after the escalation of violence along the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan’s The Express Tribune reported. Representatives from the US State Department and Chevron were visiting India to discuss the pipeline and requested Pakistan’s participation, but Islamabad declined in light of the LoC killings. The future of the TAPI project, which could potentially serve as a stabilizing factor for war-torn Afghanistan and energy-hungry Pakistan, is on the line.
Turkmenistan’s relations with Japan have been warming, with an anticipated visit by President Berdymukhamedov to Tokyo in September, and many advance teams from Japan coming to Ashgabat to prepare the agenda and logistics. The preparations have been in response to instructions earlier in the year by Berdymukhamedov to his cabinet to focus on expanding Turkmen-Japanese relations and opening a Turkmen Embassy in Tokyo. At this time, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) finances some projects in Turkmenistan and Japanese companies participate in fuel and energy sector modernization projects, including on the country's largest oil refinery in Turkmenbashi, where the total cost of modernization amounts to $1.6 billion.
Berdymukhamedov stepped down from his position as the chairman of Turkmenistan’s Democratic Party, the Turkmen government reported. “As Turkmenistan enters a new stage of development, the President, as the guarantor of the Constitution, must refrain from membership in a political party,” Berdymukhamedov said. He announced on Turkmenistan’s State TV that his decision was aimed at giving both of Turkmenistan’s political parties an equal chance in the December election. “A business-oriented political party created a year ago is likely to end the Democratic Party's two-decade-long monopoly in parliament. But it is unlikely to lead to substantive democratization in the authoritarian ex-Soviet state”, says Associated Press. Both parties, naturally, support Berdymukhamedov.
Among the many sports that Berdymukhamedov has championed and participated in, he has now taken on cycling. Following his victory in a bike race against an entourage of government officials and ministers, he entered a race, this time, against professional cyclists from Turkmenistan’s National Cycling team. When Berdymukhamedov competes, he tends to win, as last year’s car races and this year’s unfortunate horse races have shown. However, this time however, Turkmenistan’s state controlled media did not tout his victory.
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