Business
Afghanistan and Iran usher in new trade chapter after railway link inaugurated
The Herat-Khawaf railway line, a major infrastructural project between Afghanistan and Iran, was officially inaugurated in the presence of the presidents of both countries, via video link, on Thursday.
For Afghanistan this was an historic moment as the railway line will open a new chapter in trade not only with Iran but also with other regional countries, Europe and the rest of the world.
The railway link is seen as an important step in regional cooperation, in addition to being a way to strengthen economic ties and relations between Afghanistan and Iran.
In his speech, President Ashraf Ghani said he had hoped to attend the inauguration in person but due to COVID-19 restrictions he was not able to.
Ghani said however that the railway line was a critically important project, not only for Afghanistan and Iran but also for the region and beyond.
“The opening of the Khawaf-Herat railway is a great step for the development and economic leap of Iran and Afghanistan,” Ghani said.
He said railway transport is the most efficient, important and cheapest means of transporting goods in Asia.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in turn said the opening of the Khawaf-Herat railway line strengthens Afghanistan-Iran ties.
Rouhani said that through this railway link, Afghanistan will be connected to European countries.
“With the Herat-Khawaf railway line, Afghanistan will be connected to European countries and also soon will be connected to the Chabahar railway line,” Rouhani added.
Atta Nasib, Head of Afghanistan Investment Facilitation Unit said that this will help turn Afghanistan into a transit hub.
“This railway between Afghanistan and Iran is a major economic and strategic achievement for both countries, which will connect us to European countries,” said Nasib.
Yamma Shams, General Director of Afghanistan Railway Authority said that it is estimated that eventually Khawaf-Herat railway line will carry 1,600 passengers a day.
The railway line cost $100 million dollars to build and currently spans 130 km in total – 70 km in Iran and 60 km in Afghanistan.
This railway line is strategically important as it gives Afghanistan easy access to Iranian ports at Chabahar and Bandar Abbas, as it connects into Iran’s existing railway grid.
Construction of the railway began in April 2007 and was due to finish in 2009, but was delayed.
However, last week a trial run was held and the first consignment of goods imported from Iran, including 500 tons of cement, successfully arrived in the country.
According to the reports Iran’s exports to Afghanistan are projected to reach $2.7 billion by March next year.
Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, met with representatives from the ministries of foreign affairs, defense and interior of Malaysia, along with other senior officials, on Wednesday and called on Malaysians to invest in Afghanistan.
The visiting delegation is being led by senior diplomat Dr. Shazelina Zainul Abidin.
According to the IEA’s foreign ministry, the two sides discussed bilateral trade, holding a business communication conference to strengthen trade relations between the two countries, the trade balance between Afghanistan and Malaysia, and creating a market for Afghan products, including carpets, cotton, and minerals.
According to the ministry, at the end of the meeting, the Acting Minister emphasized the increase of investment from regional countries in Afghanistan and called on Malaysian investors to also invest in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Interior says that Afghanistan has started exporting goods to Turkey via the Herat-Khaf railway line.
In a post on X, the ministry said: “Afghanistan’s exports to Turkey started in a calm atmosphere through the Herat-Khaf railway line.”
The ministry added that one train will run daily for a month and then two trains will run daily.
According to the ministry, the security of Khaf-Herat railway line is provided by the guards of the National Public Protection Agency.
Khaf-Herat railway project not only connects Iran and Afghanistan by rail, but also completes a 2,000-kilometer route along the east-west rail corridor from China, through Uzbekistan, to Afghanistan, to Iran, and on to Turkey and Europe.
As a landlocked country, this railway network will provide a safe route to connect with Europe via Iran’s railway network and Iran’s southern ports.
This railway line is strategic for trade between Iran and Afghanistan and will allow six million tons of goods to be sent between the two countries.
A joint expo between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan will be held in Kabul in the next four days, officials said on Sunday.
Officials of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said that the two-day expo will be held for the purpose of expanding and strengthening trade relations between the two countries.
“This expo will be held as a follow-up of the Kazakh-Afghan international expo, which was held in the city of Astana, Kazakhstan, with the participation of a large delegation of the government and the private sector of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” Abdulsalam Javad Akhundzadeh, the spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, said.
“At this expo, domestic products from different sectors of Afghanistan and the Republic of Kazakhstan will be put on display for two days.”
According to officials, 40 large Kazakh companies, and 40 large Afghan companies will exhibit their products.
Mohammad Saber Latifi, head of the Afghanistan International Expo Center, said that fruits, minerals and commercial services will be displayed at the expo.
During the expo, various memorandums of understanding for the trade of goods are also expected to be signed by companies.
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