Taliban Economic Deputy Discusses TAPI Pipeline with Turkmen Leader
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban government’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, met with Turkmenistan’s national leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on Monday, October 20, 2025, in Turkmenistan. The main focus of their meeting was the TAPI gas pipeline project and other bilateral economic initiatives.
Following the meeting, the Taliban administration stated that both sides emphasized the strategic importance of the TAPI project for the economic growth of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and other regional countries. Baradar requested that the Turkmen side provide employment and vocational training opportunities for Afghan citizens during the implementation of the project.
Turkmenistan, in turn, pledged to hire a significant number of Afghans during the operational phase of the TAPI pipeline and expressed readiness to undertake other major economic projects in cooperation with the Taliban, aimed at expanding economic ties with Afghanistan.
Although the TAPI project is regarded by many observers as one of the region’s key initiatives, serious concerns remain about the Taliban administration’s capacity to manage it transparently and to ensure the long-term security of the pipeline route within Afghanistan. So far, the Taliban have struggled to effectively capitalize on major economic opportunities to create widespread and sustainable employment across the country.
