Voicing strong support to the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, the US has called it a “perfect example” of energy diversification, saying it is a positive step towards realising the New Silk Road initiative aimed at regional integration.
“Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI gas pipeline) is a perfect example of energy diversification, energy integration done right. We are very strong supporters of the TAPI pipeline. We congratulate the (four) countries that signed (the agreement on) it,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters at her daily news conference Wednesday evening.
“We consider it a very positive step forward and sort of a key example of what we’re seeking with our New Silk Road Initiative, which aims at regional integration to lift all boats and create prosperity across the region,” Nuland said.
The US, she said, has offered to be supportive to this project.
“I frankly don’t know whether we have commercial involvement in this, but we have been supportive politically and we stand by to be supportive in other ways if asked,” she said responding to a question.
Nuland said the US does not support the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline as Tehran is an unreliable partner.
“We have been very clear about how we feel and how the international community feels about those kinds of investments,” she said. “Iran has historically been unreliable as a global partner.”
“In this case, the case of the TAPI pipeline, you’ve got private sector investment, you’ve got new transit routes, you’ve got people-to-people links, you’ve got increased trade across a region that historically has not been well-linked, where there have been historic antipathies which are now being broken down by this positive investment project that’s going to give jobs, it’s going to give more energy, it’s going to give more technology to the people of all of these countries,” Nuland said.
“If Iran wants to come back into compliance with its international obligations, the whole picture’s going to look different in terms of the way we feel about investments,” she said.
