Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Nooruddin Azizi arrived in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province on Thursday for a meeting on facilitating the process of economic cooperation between the two countries.

The ministry’s spokesman Abdulsalam Javadakhandzadaa said Thursday the minister discussed the development of trade and transit relations between Iran and Afghanistan – but with the focus on the province of Sistan and Baluchistan.

Aziz also discussed the need to strengthen processes for goods through Chabahar port and emphasized the need to resolve issues relating to this trade route.

According to Javadakhandzadaa officials of the two countries discussed the strengthening of commercial and economic cooperation, while Azizi requested that costs be lowered for goods and for land to be made available in Chabahar to Afghan businessmen and for railway facilities to be provided.

Both sides agreed that in order to develop trade between the two countries and to strengthen transit through Chabahar, a joint technical committee would be established on a provincial level and that issues will be followed up by the central committee.

Uzbekistan has agreed to sign export contracts worth $44 million with Afghanistan, according to a report by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan.

The contracts were signed during a three-day visit to Tashkent by a delegation of Afghan businessmen.

The two nations are also planning to form an Uzbekistan-Afghanistan Business Council, which will have 18 Afghan companies among its members.

Afghanistan’s import market is worth $7 billion. The goods that are most in demand with Afghan importers are agricultural products, processed food, textiles, leather, electrical components and construction materials.

Turkmenistan has made “significant progress” on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, said TAPI Pipeline Company Limited CEO Muhammetmyrat Amanov.

“Turkmenistan is making significant progress on the TAPI natural gas pipeline, which will supply 33 billion cubic meters to South Asia annually,” he said.

Speaking at the Turkmen Energy Investment Forum (TEIF 2024) currently being held in Paris, Amanov highlighted that Turkmenistan’s section of the pipeline had been completed and ongoing discussions to advance the project beyond Turkmenistan were in strict alignment with the international standards.

He said the project envisaged environmental sustainability by leveraging natural gas to reduce emissions significantly compared to coal and oil, thereby tackling indoor pollution and enhancing regional air quality.

“In light of the ongoing project developments, Turkmenistan remains committed to upholding the international law, fulfilling its obligations and adhering to international norms and regulations,” he said.

This approach reaffirms Turkmenistan’s dedication to global cooperation and legal integrity in executing the TAPI project.

Looking ahead, the project’s focus is shifting to the Herat Offtake Strategy in Afghanistan, which will play a critical role in environmental protection by reducing air pollution, while also contributing to maintaining public safety, he said.