KABUL (SW): Landing back in Kabul after leading a ministerial-level delegation in Turkmenistan, Eklil Hakimi, the Minister of Finance said the trip was full of achievements.
Flanked by Assadullah Zamir, the Minister for Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and Daud Shah Saba, Minister for Mines and Petroleum, he said has been made on the transfer of electricity, gas pipe line, fiber optic and trade ties.
The Minister noted that fruitful discussions were held in Ashgabat with the Turkmen officials about the Lapis Lazuli Corridor. The Afghan government is rigorously pursing to establish this corridor that has been seen as a shortest, less expensive, and secure passage connecting Caucasus and Central Asia through Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey via road and rail as a viable transit route for trade with EU, Balkans and Eastern Europe.
Hakimi said this has been agreed by the both sides that oil and gas reserves would be established in Turkmenistan near the border with Afghanistan for Afghan traders to acquire whenever needed. He added Turkmen investors have been encouraged to invest in Afghanistan’s marble, carpet and cement industry.
Touching on the water issue, the Minister said that Afghanistan government was looking for a rational solution at mutual consent of the two countries and therefore a delegation from the Ministry of Power and Energy would soon travel to Turkmenistan and would meet with the related officials in this regard.
Earlier in August, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan signed three Memorandum of Understanding (MoU’s) and two agreements during the Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow’s visit to Kabul.
It is worth mentioning that, Turkmenistan has offered to host the next round of Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) scheduled for 2017.
ENDS
