A $7.6 billion ‘New Silk Road’ is slotted to connect one of the most economically disconnected regions in the world

The official groundbreaking ceremony for the TAPI pipeline was held in Turkmenistan on December 13, a milestone for a project that has been on the drawing board for over two decades. The pipeline would carry natural gas across four countries that make up the TAPI acronym: originating at the gas fields in Turkmenistan, TAPI will carry natural gas through Afghanistan, Pakistan, and terminate in India.