Afghanistan has completed the development of a roadmap for the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan (TAP) power transmission line and plans to submit it to Turkmenistan in the near future, officials said.

Abdul Bari Omar, chief executive officer of Afghanistan’s national power utility (Breshna), made the announcement following talks with a Turkmen delegation, according to Trend.

During the meeting, both sides reviewed progress on the TAP project and discussed the next stages required for its implementation. Omar also briefed the Turkmen delegation on Afghanistan’s plans to generate electricity using hydrocarbons supplied through the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline, stressing the need to finalize negotiations on gas tariff arrangements.

Turkmen officials reaffirmed their commitment to close cooperation, saying both the TAP power line and the TAPI gas pipeline are key projects for strengthening bilateral energy cooperation and supporting the economic interests of both countries.

Earlier, on October 20, 2025, Turkmenistan approved the next phase of work on the core section of the TAPI gas pipeline toward Afghanistan’s Herat province along the Serhetabat–Herat route.

A new United Nations report highlights the economic challenges faced by farmers in northern Afghanistan following bans on opium cultivation. Surveys in Badakhshan, Balkh, and Kunduz provinces show that 85 percent of households have been unable to compensate for lost income, leaving communities in urgent need of economic support.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) noted that in Badakhshan and Balkh provinces, nearly 95 percent of former opium farmers reported halting cultivation due to legal restrictions. Most have turned to wheat and other grains as alternative crops.

The report also highlighted that climate change is also threatening agriculture livelihoods in Afghanistan. Surface water remains source of irrigation for 65 percent of poppy cultivating villages and for 88 percent of other villages.

The UN report emphasizes the urgent need for targeted livelihood programs, including access to water, credit, and market opportunities for alternative crops.

Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special representative for Afghanistan, has stated that Russia is not yet prepared to accept Afghan migrant workers in large numbers due to security concerns.

Earlier, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Russia, Hassan Gul Hassan, told RIA Novosti that Kabul is negotiating with Russian authorities on the potential employment of Afghan workers in the agricultural sector.

Kabulov emphasized that Russia cannot fully open its doors to large groups of people whose backgrounds cannot be reliably verified, calling such an approach “against the law.” He warned that if migration is not carefully controlled, individuals with harmful or disruptive intentions could be among the migrants.

He added that while such labor migration might be possible in the future, it must be carefully organized, regulated, and monitored, and currently, no operational program exists. These explanations, he said, have been communicated to the Afghan ambassador.

Currently, Russia’s quota for Afghan workers remains very limited, at around 80 people per year.