The US has said it is pleased with a recent agreement on an ambitious four-nation gas pipeline involving Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI), hoping that the multi-billion-dollar project would change the face of the economic condition of the region. "We are pleased with the initial agreements that have been signed on the TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India) project," the State Department was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India (PTI). "It is important to remember that pipelines are long-term projects with long-term horizons, and that the immense effort involved could produce long-term benefits for Turkmenistan and the region," it said. TAPI's route may serve as a stabilizing corridor, linking neighbors together in economic growth and prosperity, it said. "The road ahead is long for this project, but the benefits could be tremendous," the State Department said in response to a question. India, on December 11, signed agreements to import natural gas from Turkmenistan through an ADB-based USD 7.6 billion gas pipeline passing through Pakistan and Afghanistan. Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora inked the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) and the Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline in Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. "Today is a very important day, not just for India, but for all the countries (in the TAPI project)," he had said at the signing ceremony attended by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
