Thursday, April 12, 2012 -
Iran will supply natural gas to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China through a proposed pipeline via Afghanistan, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Wednesday.
The plan was given the green light by the region’s leaders in talks last month on gas exports from Iran, Tehran’s ambassador to Dushanbe Aliasgar Sherdust said.
"According to the agreement reached by the heads of Tajikistan, Iran and Afghanistan in Dushanbe, a pipeline from Iran to Tajikistan through Afghanistan and further to Kyrgyzstan and China will be built," the United Press International (UPI) reported the Iranian envoy as telling the Trend news service.
The March talks in Dushanbe concluded with the signing by the Iranian, Tajik, and Afghan presidents of an agreement to build the pipeline.
The Tehran government is also eager to lay a water pipeline from mountainous Tajikistan via Afghanistan to Iran.
Studies show that Tajikistan uses only 5 percent of its own water resources, while the remaining 95 flows out to downstream countries, the envoy said.
The three countries also intend to upgrade their trans-regional railways and roads and create an electricity linkup between Tajikistan and Iran.
Tajikistan, the envoy said, produces enough energy for export during the spring-summer season while Iran runs a surplus over winter.
Iranian public and private companies are currently active in mountainous Tajikistan on construction of small hydroelectric power plants, agriculture, industry, and cement production, the Iranian diplomat said.