Business
US planning for post-peace agreement in Afghanistan
The US wants to continue its assistance to Afghanistan after the possible peace agreement with the Taliban, aimed to end the long-term conflict in Afghanistan.
A number of diplomats told Ariana News that Washington wants to continue its assistance and implement new development, infrastructure, job creation, and economic programs in Afghanistan.
Shukria Barakzai, Afghanistan’s former ambassador to Norway, said: “The international communities would like to invest in Afghanistan and provide job opportunities for Taliban fighters not only in the Afghan uniforms but also in their employment in national and international economic projects.”
Meanwhile, 114 billion AFN for the national budget this year will shape Afghanistan’s development and operations sector; Most of the global aid including 8.14 billion from the US is allocated for the development sector.
The Afghan government is preparing to attend the Geneva summit in late November to both attract more financial assistance from the world and to shed light on future grants.
“We’re trying to get more donations every year. We’re working on a global conference in 2020 for the next few years. The donor’s commitments will be clearer,” Shamroz Khan Masjidi, a spokesman for the Finance Ministry said.
The Afghan State Ministry for Peace Affairs also says that it has studied the country’s needs on its pre-, current, and post-peace plans with the Taliban.
“In proportion to the progress of the process and the conditions that have arisen, ASMPA will take action in coordination with all institutions and structures related to the peace process,” said Najia Anwari, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Peace.
Following the peace agreement, addressing infrastructure and job creation programs, especially in areas under Taliban rule that have been under siege, and removing Afghanistan from economic dependence is considered a serious need.
“Afghanistan’s main problem is the country’s economic prosperity, which needs to be addressed in order to reduce economic dependence and strengthen the internal forces,” said Shabir Bashiri, chairman of the Supreme Council of Industries, Mines and Investment.
The final paragraph of the US-Taliban peace agreement also states that the United States is working with the new Afghan government to rebuild Afghanistan economically and not to interfere in its affairs.
On the other hand, a number of economic analysts and senior representatives of the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction are concerned about the post-war Afghan economy and are calling on donors to continue their financial and military assistance to establish a regular military force in Afghanistan.
While some belief with the approach of Intra-Afghan Talks, an end to the two-decade-long war in Afghanistan might be reached, economic and political analysts at the Modern War Institute are concerned about post-war Afghanistan saying that even after peace, Afghanistan needs long-term financial and economic assistance from donor countries.
Duncan Walker, a professor of economics at a US Military University believes that countries like Afghanistan, where decades of war have been going on for a long time, will certainly need the help and infrastructure of various sectors, even after the end of the war.
However, more than any post-war concern in Afghanistan, everyone is now waiting for the start of talks between Afghans, which could end the Afghan government’s two-decade war with the Taliban.
Business
Afghanistan-Kazakhstan trade reaches $581 million in six months
The latest discussions come as Kabul and Astana work on a bilateral economic cooperation roadmap, with the two countries aiming to increase annual trade to $3 billion.
Trade between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan reached $581 million in the past six months, officials in Afghanistan’s western Herat province said.
The figure was discussed during a meeting between Herat Governor Noor Ahmad Islam Jar and a Kazakh delegation led by Yerkin Tukumov, Kazakhstan’s special representative for Afghanistan.
Tukumov stressed the need to expand transit capacity and remove customs barriers to facilitate increased trade between the two countries. He also invited Afghan officials to attend a joint economic meeting scheduled to take place in Kazakhstan.
Islam Jar highlighted Herat’s strategic location and security, describing the province as having significant potential to serve as a hub for investment and regional trade.
Afghanistan and Kazakhstan have previously discussed expanding trade in agricultural products, including Afghan agricultural exports in exchange for flour imports from Kazakhstan.
The two sides have also reached understandings on cooperation over the Torghundi-Herat railway project, which is intended to strengthen transport and trade links.
The latest discussions come as Kabul and Astana work on a bilateral economic cooperation roadmap, with the two countries aiming to increase annual trade to $3 billion.
Ariana Afghan Airlines has increased cargo flights between Kabul and Delhi to facilitate the transportation of commercial goods and support Afghan traders.
In a statement issued Saturday, the airline said it will now operate two scheduled cargo flights daily on the Kabul-Delhi route, up from one flight per day previously.
The airline said Afghan traders and commercial companies can use the daily cargo services to transport their goods quickly, safely and reliably between Afghanistan and India.
Ariana Afghan Airlines said it is working to further expand and improve its air cargo services to support trade, meet the needs of Afghan traders and facilitate Afghanistan’s exports and imports.
Business
Afghanistan, Turkmenistan agree to establish joint road transport commission
The sides also agreed to establish a joint commission to address road transport issues and improve coordination.
Afghanistan and Turkmenistan have agreed to establish a joint commission on road transport and facilitate transit between the two countries following two days of talks in Herat.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation said the meeting brought together technical delegations from both countries to strengthen bilateral transport and transit cooperation.
The talks focused on easing visa procedures for Afghan and Turkmen drivers and traders, operationalising the Lapis Lazuli transit corridor and increasing the movement of transit vehicles between the two countries.
The sides also agreed to establish a joint commission to address road transport issues and improve coordination.
Representatives from Afghanistan’s ministries of foreign affairs, industry and commerce and the railway authority attended the talks, alongside the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. Railway links, bilateral trade and wider transit cooperation were also discussed, with private-sector representatives expected to participate in future discussions.
The agreement comes as Turkmenistan works to strengthen its role as a regional transport and logistics hub, using its road, rail and Caspian Sea infrastructure to connect Central Asia with markets to the west and south.
A key part of that network is the International Seaport of Turkmenbashi, which links Turkmenistan with Azerbaijan and onward routes towards the South Caucasus and Europe.
Turkmenistan’s transport infrastructure also forms part of the wider Middle Corridor, or Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, connecting China and Central Asia with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye before reaching European markets.
For Afghanistan, the Lapis Lazuli Corridor is particularly important. It connects Afghanistan through Turkmenistan and across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye, providing a potential route towards European markets.
Rail links such as the Herat-Torghundi line could further connect Afghanistan’s markets with Turkmenistan’s wider transport network.
The latest agreement puts road transport and transit facilitation at the centre of efforts by the two neighbours to expand trade and strengthen regional connectivity.
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