Customs tariffs should be lowered on some goods, says Muttaqi

The Islamic Emirate’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said Wednesday in a meeting with Afghan traders based in Turkmenistan that customs tariffs should be lowered on some goods because exports from Turkmenistan outnumber the exports from Afghanistan.

“Tariffs should be lowered on some goods because exports from Turkmenistan are high and Afghanistan is low. This balance should be equal,” said Muttaqi.

Muttaqi added that the IEA has a balanced policy in terms of the economy and implementation of development projects.

“The current government in the economic sector, in the development sector of its policy, wants balanced development in Afghanistan; balanced in the sense that no province or district is superior to another province or district,” he stressed.

The trade volume between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan is over $481 million annually, of which goods worth $3 million dollars are exported from Afghanistan and over $477 million in goods are imported.

At the meeting, Muttaqi once again said that the government is inclusive and added that the IEA cannot appoint senior officials as ordered by other countries.

Muttaqi is heading a delegation to the country at the invitation of Rashid Murdov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, for talks with officials on various issues including trade.