Kazakhstan trading house to be opened in Afghanistan
On April 16, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zhumangarin came to Afghanistan on an official visit. During talks with his Afghan counterparts, he said that the government of Kazakhstan is planning to open a trading house in the city of Herat, Afghanistan in order to increase trading turnover between the two countries and facilitate businesses. For instance, the new center is expected to play the role of a special platform for business negotiations and consultations on legal issues, marketing and specific goods and services.
During the Kazakh-Afghan business meeting, entrepreneurs from Afghanistan made a $4 million order for Kazakhstani flour. Moreover, the two countries also want to expand bilateral cooperation in the sphere of telecommunication, transportation and logistics as Afghanistan can play a crucial role in the transit of cargo and regional trade.
In a separate move, Kazakhstan authorities have given Afghanistan 5.500 tons of humanitarian aid. According to Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan has a great interest in cooperating with Afghanistan and is ready to strengthen ties with this country in many spheres.
«Kazakhstan is one of few countries that have kept their diplomatic presence in Kabul. We want Afghanistan to be a stable and prosperous country, a good neighbor for other nations. We are ready to expand our cooperation in the sphere of trade and economic relations by all means, including humanitarian aid,» the official said.
Kazakhstan is capable to export to Afghanistan 46 items of goods from the food, petrochemical, metallurgic, textile, machine building and construction industries, Zhumangarin highlighted.
In 2022, the turnover between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan reached $987.9 million, which is 2.1 times higher in 2021 ($474.3 million). In January and February 2023, the trading turnover reached $282.6 million, a 94.6% increase over the same period last year ($145.2 million). These figures include Kazakhstan’s exports to Afghanistan ($978.9 million) and imports from Afghanistan ($9.1 million) as well as $281.5 million worth of exports from Kazakhstan and $1.1 million in imports from Afghanistan in the first two months of the year.
The radical Islamist movement Taliban has been ruling in Afghanistan since August 2021. The Taliban emerged in September 1994. It ruled approximately three-quarters of the country from 1996 to 2001. In 2001, the U.S. launched a military operation against the Taliban in response to the September 11 attacks. In April 2021, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. military would leave the country by September. In August, the Taliban seized almost all territory of the country including the capital city of Kabul and declared the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
At the time, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Akan Rakhmetullin said that Kazakhstan doesn’t recognize the Taliban. However, since then Kazakhstani officials visited Kabul on several occasions with humanitarian missions and the purpose of restoring bilateral trade. In December 2021, Bakhyt Sultanov, minister of trade at the time, was in Afghanistan on an official visit. Moreover, Kazakhstan’s embassy has never stopped working in Kabul.
