Afghan minister calls for new Khaf-Herat railway line to link with Chabahar

Afghan Minister for Commerce and Industry Nisar Ahmad Faizi Ghoryani on Wednesday said the Khaf-Herat railway project was a great achievement for the people of Afghanistan and said he hoped this railway line would eventually be connected to the Chabahar-Zahedan rail network,

Speaking to Iran’s IRNA agency on the sidelines of the 8th round of Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) meeting in Islamabad, also noted that Afghanistan’s banking-related challenges around trade and transit from Iran’s Chabahar port had been resolved. 

He told IRNA that problems in receiving money related to the exports of Afghanistan to China and India through the port of Chabahar, had caused a slowdown in transit activities.

Ghoryani said: “Afghanistan raised the banking issue in the port of Chabahar with the American parties.”

“The port of Chabahar is excluded from Washington’s sanctions list, which is why the banking issue has been raised with the United States several times, and we have managed to get a 100 percent promise to lift it,” he said.

“The banking problem in Chabahar will be solved in the next few days and there will be no more obstacles or reasons for sabotaging Afghanistan’s transit trade through this important Iranian port.”

Ghoryani also told IRNA that Chabahar was a strategic port and an easy route to ensure the interests of Afghanistan and the region and said “we hope the Khaf railway will be connected to the Chabahar-Zahedan railway project.”

He also again lauded Iran for the new Khaf-Herat railway line and said: “Khaf railway is a great project that connects Afghanistan to Europe through the Islamic Republic of Iran.” 

He also invited Iranian investors to participate in Afghan industries.

“Afghanistan imports stand at $7 billion a year, and we can work harder with Iranian investors to meet the needs of industry inside Afghanistan,” Ghoryani said.