Central Asia Focus on Expanding Economic Ties with Afghanistan

DID Press: During a consultative meeting between Afghanistan and Central Asian countries in Kabul, senior officials from five regional states emphasized expanding economic cooperation, strengthening political relations, and supporting major transit projects with Afghanistan.

Geziz Akbasov stated that economic relations between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan have grown significantly over the past five years, with ongoing efforts to facilitate customs processes and joint investments across various sectors.

Kairat Tursenkulov called for the release of Afghanistan’s frozen assets and stressed that sanctions policies against Taliban officials over the past two decades have failed.

Sadi Sharifi, appreciating Taliban forces for securing shared borders, stated that Dushanbe is committed to expanding political and economic relations with Kabul. He also supported the Afghanistan-Pakistan talks in China, emphasizing dialogue as the solution to regional challenges.

Babar Usmanov described Afghanistan as a “key Silk Road partner” capable of connecting two billion people. He noted that Tashkent has completed studies on the Afghan-Trans railway project and is ready to begin implementation.

Khwaja Avazov described the security and stability situation in Afghanistan as “unprecedented” and highlighted that projects such as TAPI gas pipelines, TAP electricity, railways, and transport infrastructure demonstrate that economic cooperation fosters broader collaboration. He added that by the end of this year, Herat province will own the gas from the TAPI project.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Taliban government’s Foreign Minister announced that Afghanistan aims to increase trade with Central Asian countries to $10 billion over the next three to four years, noting that trade in 2025 reached $2.7 billion, marking a significant increase.