Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting with Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce of Afghanistan Nuriddin Azizi, who arrived in Kazakhstan to participate in the Astana International Forum. The parties discussed strengthening trade and economic cooperation, with a focus on expanding collaboration in transport and logistics, geological exploration, agriculture, digitalization, healthcare, education, and other areas, primeminister.kz reports.
Measures to boost trade relations were reviewed, with particular emphasis on diversifying Kazakhstan’s exports. Kazakhstan ranks among Afghanistan’s top ten trading partners. In 2023, the bilateral trade volume totaled $545.2 million, of which $527.7 million accounted for Kazakh exports.
The meeting also addressed the construction of the Torghundi-Herat trans-Afghan railway. The project holds strategic importance for the region, as Afghanistan serves as a key bridge between Central and South Asia and can play a significant role in enhancing the efficiency of the North-South corridor. Prospects for involving Kazakh companies in joint projects in Afghanistan related to geological exploration, mining, and processing of solid minerals were also discussed.
In the field of digitalization, Kazakhstan will continue consultations and work jointly with Afghanistan on a strategy to implement modern technologies.
Kazakhstan remains committed to uniting international efforts for the region’s sustainable development. Today, our country is one of Afghanistan’s top ten trading partners and actively works with global partners and organizations to address the food crisis in Afghanistan. Kazakhstan continues to be a reliable supplier of grain and flour to the Afghan market. We are also ready to begin supplying other grain types, livestock products, and confectionery and flour-based goods. Overall, we aim to expand our export assortment. To support this, we have opened the Kazakhstan Trade House in Herat and plan to open another one in Kabul," Olzhas Bektenov stated.
Nuriddin Azizi emphasized Afghanistan’s interest in expanding cooperation with Kazakhstan through joint projects. The participants specifically noted the promising prospects for exporting Kazakh agricultural machinery to Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan is an important trade partner for us. We see real potential in our partnership. We are particularly interested in Kazakh IT technologies and agricultural production. The quality of your products is the highest compared to other countries. We are also interested in Kazakh-made agricultural equipment," Nuriddin Azizi said.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of the newly established UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty, which is expected to make a substantial contribution to regional stability and sustainable progress.
At the end of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation across all promising areas.
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