Turkmenistan: Government and Taliban in surprise meeting

According to a report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on 11 February 2021, a delegation of the Taliban from Afghanistan visited the Turkmen capital Ashgabat on 6 February 2021, ostensibly to discuss the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural-gas pipeline, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) power line, and further connecting Afghanistan to Turkmenistan by railway. Rolf Zeegers, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "Although no one is sure exactly what was discussed, it seems likely that the meeting was initiated by the Turkmen government. The country is mired in economic problems that stem mainly from its inability to find markets for natural gas, its main export. The biggest obstacle for the TAPI, TAP and railway projects (that will bring significant income for Turkmenistan) is the fact that they all need to pass territory that is currently under Taliban control. The fact that Ashgabat is willing to talk to a group widely labelled as "˜Islamic terrorists" indicates how desperate the situation in Turkmenistan has become." Rolf Zeegers continues: "The position of the Taliban is strengthened by such international meetings, provided that they keep their promises (which they have often failed to do in the past). It remains to be seen whether this will increase the Taliban"s influence in internal Turkmen affairs, although it seems highly unlikely that the secular regime of Turkmenistan would suddenly become pro-Islamic. As such, the impact of these negotiations are not likely to have any significance for the life of the Christian community in Turkmenistan. There is no doubt that the many restrictions imposed by the Turkmen regime on freedom of religion will remain in place."