KABU (SW) – Kabul, on Friday, hosted a trilateral summit between Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, during which avenues to strengthen economic and trade relations among these three countries were explored and agreed upon.
Akhundzada Abdul Salam Javad, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the de-facto government states that discussions revolved around “connecting North Asia to South Asia, reducing transit and transportation costs, and establishing a joint technical committee among Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan,” forming the main agenda of this summit.
The Islamic Emirate is actively seeking to improve its economic and trade relations with regional countries, especially as Afghanistan faces serious economic challenges.
Abdul Nasir Rashtiya, an economic affairs expert, noted that holding meetings like the trilateral summit in Kabul is crucial for bypassing economic sanctions imposed on Afghanistan, establishing strategic economic relations with the region, and diversifying Afghanistan’s reliance on a single transit route.
He also emphasized the need to develop infrastructure in Afghanistan to enhance economic and transit relations with regional countries, saying, “Afghanistan is a landlocked country; unfortunately, it lacks access to open waters, lacks a well-equipped transportation system, and lacks standard roads, all of which have significantly impacted Afghanistan’s trade.”
It is worth mentioning that Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan are among the top 10 important countries with which Afghanistan conducts significant trade exchanges, and according to available data, Afghanistan’s exports to Kazakhstan have nearly tripled in recent years.
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