A Kazakh delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Serik Zhumangarin arrived in Kabul on April 21 to discuss investment opportunities and the expansion of economic, trade, transit, and railway cooperation between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported.
In meetings with Afghan officials, Zhumangarin 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.
Nooruddin Azizi, acting Afghan 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 Afghan industrial goods, minerals, and vegetables to Kazakhstan.
In a separate meeting with acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Zhumangarin called Afghanistan an inseparable regional partner and emphasized that Astana has consistently worked to maintain strong political and economic ties with Kabul.
