Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, the country’s national power utility company, said on Sunday that last year it paid most of its electricity bills to exporting countries.

According to the company, $94 million was paid to Uzbekistan, $96 million to Tajikistan and $62 million to Iran.

DABS’ chief operating officer Safiullah Ahmadzai said that a five-year strategic plan for renewable energy has been drawn up to provide reliable and sustainable electricity, which includes 710 megawatts of solar and wind power.

Ahmadzai said preliminary work has been done in the area of electricity production from coal, and a contract will be signed in the near future.

“The technical team of Breshna Company was able to properly manage the domestic power plants of Naghlu, Mahiper and Surubi, and last year we had 390 million kilowatt hours of domestically produced electricity from water resources,” Ahmadzai said.

Officials also said that in the fiscal year 1401, the company registered about 35,000 electric meters that were distributed during the republic period and payment of electricity bills was made online.

The company officials emphasized that they have not increased the price of electricity, but meter reading has become more accurate.

On an average, around 20 international flights take off from Afghanistan’s airports every day, the country’s minister of transport said on Sunday.

Hamidullah Akhundzadeh, the Minister of Transport and Aviation said at a graduation ceremony of the students of the Institute of Transport and Aviation that 30 students have been sent to Uzbekistan to study in order to improve the aviation sector.

Meanwhile, the minister of higher education promised that he will cooperate in increasing the capacity of the students of the Transport and Aviation Institute.

Neda Mohammad Nadeem also said that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) is committed to the principle of merit-based recruitment.

“Let our schools and universities progress scientifically. Scholars and teachers should be offered in every part of this country. We must be able to provide professionals in every sector,” Nadeem said.

According to the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, graduates of the institute have been trained in air traffic control, monitoring, tracking and other areas for two years.

Uzbekistan’s Special Representative Ismatulla Irgashev and Pakistan’s Ambassador in Tashkent, Ahmad Farooq, on Thursday met and discussed the construction of the Termez–Mazar-e-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar railway.

A thorough exchange of views took place on the current situation in Afghanistan and the efforts of the international community and both countries to expand cooperation in the Afghan direction, Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Pakistan’s envoy emphasized the significant role of Uzbekistan in establishing a long-term and sustainable peace in Afghanistan, as well as involving the country in regional integration processes, the statement said.

The parties also discussed ongoing transport and communication projects in Afghanistan, in particular, the construction of the Termez–Mazar-e-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar railway, it added.