A high-ranking Kazakh delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Serik Jumanğarin, arrived in Kabul
During meetings with officials of the Islamic Emirate, the delegation discussed investment opportunities, the expansion of economic, trade, transit, and railway cooperation between Kabul and Astana.
Deputy Prime Minister Jumanğarin is also expected to participate in the Afghan–Kazakh Business Conference and Joint Trade Exhibition.
Jumanğarin stated: “This is our fourth visit to Afghanistan, and the Kazakh delegation now travels to this country annually. We’ve had constructive meetings with the Minister of Commerce, and the Afghan–Kazakh trade exhibition will be held in Afghanistan. We hope to see increased commercial exchanges. We have also prepared an important trade agreement, which will be presented during the meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.”
Meanwhile, Nooruddin Azizi, acting minister of industry and commerce, said the goal is to increase bilateral trade from $1 billion to over $3 billion.
He added that a significant portion of Afghanistan’s needs is met by Kazakhstan, and efforts are ongoing to expand exports of industrial goods, minerals, and vegetables to Kazakhstan.
Azizi noted: “Trade communication between the two countries will continue. As we agreed, our trade volume will reach $3 billion. But we won’t stop there — both countries have the capacity to go beyond this.”
In a meeting with the deputy prime minister for economic affairs and other officials of the Islamic Emirate, Jumanğarin also discussed a roadmap for cooperation in the economic, trade, banking, transit, and political sectors. He announced that Kazakhstan would invest $500 million in Afghanistan’s railway projects.
In a separate meeting with acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Jumanğarin called Afghanistan an inseparable regional partner and emphasized that Astana has consistently worked to maintain strong political and economic ties with Kabul.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said: “Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund stated that since the Islamic Emirate returned to power, commercial ties between the two countries have grown daily, and that a $3 billion cooperation roadmap was recently developed and signed between Kabul and Astana.”
The Afghan–Kazakh joint exhibition and trade connectivity conference will be held tomorrow (Tuesday, 22 April) in Kabul, with the participation of over 400 traders and investors from both countries.