Kazakhstan’s deputy PM visits Kabul, calls for expansion of trade ties

Serik Zhomangarin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, arrived in Kabul on Saturday and met with senior officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

Amir Khan Muttaqi, IEA’s foreign minister, said in meeting with Zhomangarin that there are good opportunities for investment in Afghanistan, and that the level of trade between the two countries has increased to $900 million annually.

Muttaqi also called on the Kazakh government to facilitate visa issuance processes for Afghan traders.

On the other hand, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan said that his country has maintained relations with Afghanistan for a long time, and it did not close its embassy in Kabul in difficult circumstances, according to a statement from IEA’s foreign ministry.

Zhomangarin said that he brought a group of traders to Kabul with the aim of expanding relations between the two countries.

He also said that Afghanistan is the connecting point of Central and South Asia. He added that his country wants Afghanistan to be connected to the region through railway.

Zhomangarin also met IEA’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi. The two sides discussed raising the level of trade to $3 billion annually, building railways, regional connectivity, and investing in Afghanistan’s mineral resources.