Turkmenistan prepares to launch the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline on the territory of Afghanistan. The preparations for this important international event were discussed during the enlarged meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan. The ceremonies of laying the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan electric power transmission lines, and the fiber-optic communication line along this route as well as the ceremony of putting the new railway – Serhetabat (Turkmenistan) – Turgundi (Afghanistan) will also take place on February 23. In this regard, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that Turkmenistan carried out the fruitful work in the region to implement the ambitious projects, using the construction of the TAPI project, as well as a number of other important projects, in particular in the sphere of energy, transport and communications, as an example. The President of Turkmenistan emphasized that the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline, which will be launched together with the heads of the other countries on February 23 and that will supply Turkmen gas to the countries of Asia, would enter the history of our independent neutral state. The largest gas pipeline of the century will offer a powerful incentive to the development of the economies of the countries in the region and provide new jobs. TAPI will promote the establishment of the electrical power, transport, communication and social infrastructures. Moreover, the power-transmission systems will ensure the supply of electrical energy to the regions in the country as well as the export of power energy to Pakistan through Afghanistan and other countries in Asia. The government of these states expressed their interest in the rapid implementation of this project. Laying the Trans-Asiatic-European optic communication line that has become an important telecommunication bridge not only in the Central Asian region but also between the East and the West, the North and the South, on the territory of our country will contribute to the further development of the communications industry as a significant segment of the national economy. The Turkmen leader also noted that the successful implementation of the above-mentioned projects would generate substantial gains to the budget of Afghanistan due to the transit of natural gas, power energy, industrial goods and informative communications. The President of Turkmenistan underlined that the gas pipeline would ensure the sustainability and systematic social and economic development of the region.