U.S. welcomes progress on gas pipeline from Turkmenistan WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. government welcomes the creation of a joint company to steer a multilateral natural gas project from Turkmenistan, a State Department official said. The governments of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan last week created a joint venture project to steer a pipeline that would send natural gas eastward from Turkmenistan. "The United States government welcomes the establishment of TAPI Ltd. and the ongoing commitment all four countries have made to the project," an unnamed State Department official was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying Wednesday. Twice during press conferences this week, State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke sidestepped questions on the project, saying he did not have the information on hand. Pakistani and Afghan leaders met separately this week to discuss implementation of the project, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani saying it would ensure multilateral economic development. The government of Turkmenistan is hosting its Afghan, Pakistan and Indian counterparts to discuss the 1,000-mile natural gas pipeline. Representatives from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India met last year in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, to sign an advisory services agreement. TAPI is favored by the United States and its allies over a similar, but long delayed, natural gas pipeline stretching east from Iran. "The United States continues to support TAPI, which we see as an important component of our New Silk Road initiative that seeks to link South and Central Asia," the State Department official said. India's energy minister said at an international energy conference in January that India, the terminal country, should receive gas from the pipeline by 2017.