India looks to Kabul for better ties

Afghan President Karzai told Indian Foreign Secretary Saran in Kabul this week that New Delhi should seriously consider joining a proposed project to build a pipeline for natural gas from Turkmenistan. The proposal calls for a pipeline passing from eastern Turkmenistan through western Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Energy industry analysts say the project will not be economically feasible unless it also links into the Indian market. Saran reportedly told Karzai that New Delhi is considering the project.

Speaking to reporters aboard his flight out of Kabul, Saran said New Delhi was interested in the regional impact of improved bilateral ties with Afghanistan. “You should look at Afghanistan as an economic opportunity – for example, access to Central Asia,” Saran said. “There is tremendous potential that remains to be tapped between India and Afghanistan.”

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