Afghanistan and Russia have discussed plans to expand economic and trade cooperation, including a proposal to establish a special economic zone at the Hairatan border port.

Ahmad Jan Bilal, Director General of State-Owned Enterprises, met with Dmitry Zhirnov, the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan, at his office. Saeedurrahman Mazhari, head of the director general’s office, and Momtazuddin Momtaz, head of legal affairs, also attended the meeting.

During the talks, Zhirnov thanked Bilal for arranging the meeting and proposed the establishment of a special economic zone in Hairatan. He said the zone could provide facilities for the storage, processing and packaging of agricultural products, as well as other economic activities.

The Russian ambassador also presented a proposal concerning joint-stock companies related to “Stras and Afsutor.”

Bilal welcomed the proposal and stressed the importance of establishing an economic zone. He said the General Directorate of State-Owned Enterprises was working to further strengthen and expand the activities of the relevant companies to help increase exports of Afghanistan’s fresh and dried fruits to international markets.

He added that Afghanistan welcomes Russia’s cooperation in various economic sectors and is ready to expand further joint economic and trade partnerships.

Bilal also called for cooperation and agreements on establishing a workshop for repairing Kamaz vehicles in Afghanistan and importing petroleum products from Russia.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Russian ambassador assured the Afghan side of Russia’s comprehensive cooperation on the issues discussed.