据美联社9月18日消息称,印度和尼泊尔领导人星期二为南亚第一条跨国石油管道揭幕,这条石油管道使喜马拉雅山脉国家尼泊尔能够从其南部的邻国获得不间断的石油供应。
印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪和尼泊尔总理卡德加·普拉萨德·奥利同时从新德里和加德满都的办公室按下开关,开启了这条69公里(43英里)长的管道,这条管道将把汽油、柴油和煤油运过尼泊尔边境。
两位领导人称赞这条管道是两国友谊的又一步。
莫迪说:“这是南亚第一条跨境石油管道,也是在创纪录的时间内完成的。”他补充说,这条管道的完工时间几乎是预期时间的一半。
莫迪说,有了这条管道,尼泊尔将以非常低廉的价格购买200万吨清洁石油产品。
奥利星期二宣布,政府将把汽油和柴油的价格降低2卢比(2.3美分)。
奥利说:“这不仅将节省时间,降低成本,减少从印度向尼泊尔运输石油产品时的道路交通和空气污染,而且还将为在尼泊尔扩大类似管道开辟道路。”
油罐车被用来将石油产品从印度的储存设施通过拥挤的边境点运送到尼泊尔。车被认为是堵塞尼泊尔和印度之间已经狭窄的边境检查站的主要原因之一。
尼泊尔所有的石油产品都从印度进口。印度国有石油公司向尼泊尔石油公司出售这些产品。
奥利说:“毫无疑问,这将加强我们两国之间的相互联系和相互依赖。这是在贸易、运输和基础设施方面实现互联互通的最好例子之一。”
曹海斌 摘译自 美联社
原文如下:
India, Nepal open cross border oil pipeline
The leaders of India and Nepal inaugurated South Asia's first cross-country oil pipeline Tuesday, allowing the Himalayan nation of Nepal to receive an uninterrupted supply of oil from its large southern neighbor.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart, Khadga Prasad Oli, hit the switch simultaneously from their offices in New Delhi and Kathmandu to open the 69-kilometer (43-mile) pipeline, which will bring gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene across the border to Nepal.
The two leaders hailed the pipeline as another step in the friendship between the two nations.
"This is the first cross border petroleum pipeline in South Asia, which has also been completed in a record time," Modi said, adding that it was finished in almost half the expected time.
Modi said with this pipeline, 2 million metric tons of clean petroleum products will be available to the people of Nepal at very affordable rates.
Oli announced Tuesday that the government would reduce the price of gasoline and diesel by 2 rupees (2.3 cents).
"It will not only save time, reduce cost, lessen road traffic and reduce air pollution in transporting petroleum products from India to Nepal, but will also open avenues in Nepal for expanding similar pipelines across the country," Oli said.
Tanker trucks have been used to transport the oil products from storage facilities in India to Nepal through crowded border points. The trucks are believed to be one of the main reasons for clogging up the already narrow border check points between Nepal and India.
Nepal imports all of its oil products from India. The state-owned India Oil Corporation sells the products to Nepal Oil Corporation, also government-owned.
"This will without any doubt enhance interconnectedness and interdependence between our two countries," Oli said. "It is one of the best examples of connectivity in terms of trade and transit and infrastructure."