Business
IEA signs final agreement with UAE-based company to run Afghan airports
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced Thursday it has signed the third and final agreement for the running of Afghanistan’s airports with GAAC Holding, which will include air space control.
The contract with the UAE company is for 10 years, Ghulam Jelani Popal, deputy head of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation said at a press conference.
He said the IEA had already signed contracts with GAAC over ground services and security.
Ibrahim Moarafi, the General Manager and Regional Director of GAAC told reporters in Kabul that it would encourage major international airlines to return to Afghanistan.
“We believe this is the significant development,” he said. “We also believe this is a significant development as it will bring economic benefits in terms of job creation.”
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said at the event that Afghanistan’s self-reliance and economic development was the IEA’s priority, “and to achieve this goal, two important contracts were signed with GAAC Holding in the fields of ground services and aviation security.”
“As a result, in addition to the collection of revenue, job opportunities were provided to many citizens,” said Mullah Baradar.
He also said this move would lead to the increase of international flights to Afghanistan, which would have positive effects on increasing trade and transit.
“With the signing of this agreement, basic steps will be taken to standardize important parts of the airport, train experts, ensure flight safety and collect revenue,” said Mullah Hamidullah Akhundzada, Ministry of Transportation and Aviation.
Morafi, from GAAC said: “It is a matter of pleasure that today an agreement for air navigation services was signed with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and based on this agreement, we will work to increase the capacities and equip the necessary departments.
“We are determined to provide standard services to exporters and importers as per international conventions, in addition to increasing international flights.”
The agreements would help ease Afghanistan’s isolation from the outside world, and allow for an increase in cargo and commercial passenger flights into the country.
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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