ASHGABAT, July 28: Turkmenistan said on Saturday that it would try to recruit international investors for a new gas pipeline project that would link Central and South Asia.

The energy-rich state plans to pitch the project to international oil and gas majors and financial institutions in the autumn, the Neitralny Turkmenistan newspaper reported.

The plan for a Tapi (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) natural gas pipeline, which is backed by the Asian Development Bank, is viewed with scepticism by some analysts. However the US has praised the project for boosting regional peace and prosperity.

Deputy Prime Minister Yagshygeldi Kakayev announced plans on Friday for “a series of meetings with representatives of leading international oil and gas companies and financial institutions”, the news report said.

He said the meetings planned for September and October would discuss “questions concerning the financing of the Tapi project and the creation of a consortium”.—AFP