Acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Amir Khan Muttaqi on Saturday left Kabul for Iran to attend Tehran Dialogue Forum.

Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesman for the foreign ministry, said that the delegation accompanying Muttaqi also includes Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy minister of economy.

In addition to participating in the Tehran Dialogue Forum, Muttaqi is scheduled to meet with his Iranian counterpart and other high-ranking officials to discuss bilateral relations.

Tehran Dialogue Forum will be held on May 17-19.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Aslan Abdraimov, has warned that the Qosh Tepa canal in Afghanistan could significantly reduce the flow of the Syr Darya River, with direct consequences for the already depleted Aral Sea.

He made the remarks at the recent international conference, Water Security and Transboundary Water Use: Challenges and Solutions, held in Astana.

“No sharp fluctuations in water resources are expected in the near term, but in the long term, a reduction in the Syr Darya’s flow is inevitable,” Abdraimov stated. He emphasized that this would further strain the fragile water balance in the Aral Sea basin.

Azamatkhan Amirtayev, chairman of Kazakhstan’s Baytak Party, expressed concern that the Qosh Tepa canal could divert 25-30% of the Amu Darya’s flow. “This means that Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan will receive less water. Consequently, Uzbekistan may draw more from the Syr Darya, leading to reduced water availability for Kazakhstan, potentially by 30-40%,” Amirtayev said. He urged for regional cooperation and scientifically informed policymaking to mitigate water losses.

The Qosh Tepa canal is a canal being built in northern Afghanistan to divert water from the Amu Darya River. The main canal is expected to be 285 km long and the overall initiative seeks to convert 550,000 hectares of desert into farmland.

Earlier, Uzbek authorities had also expressed concern about the construction of the Qosh Tepe canal in Afghanistan.

However, the Islamic Emirate has assured Uzbekistan that it will not be harmed by the canal.

The bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan has recorded an increase of approximately 23 percent from $97 million in March to $119 million during April on month-over-month basis, a Pakistani newspaper reported on Saturday.

In April 2025, Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan rose by 21 percent compared to March 2025, increasing from $72 million to $87 million, The Nation reported.

Imports from Afghanistan also surged by 28 percent, reaching $32 million from $25 million in the month of March 2025. This led to a 23 percent rise in total bilateral trade for April between Afghanistan and Pakistan from $97 million in March  to $119 million during April on month-on-month basis.

However, in April 2025, the growth momentum slowed on year-on-year basis.

Overall, Pakistan exports to Afghanistan increased by 31 percent from $871 million during the first 10 months (July to April) of the FY 2023-24 to $1,138.3 million in the same period of the ongoing fiscal year 2024-25, according to the newspaper.