Foreign Minister Meets Deputy PM, Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan

KABUL, Apr. 17 – Foreign Minister of the IEA Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi met in Kabul with Mr. Serik Zhumangarin Deputy PM and Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, on Sunday.

Welcoming Mr. Zhumangarin to Kabul, FM Muttaqi expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan for its assistance in the fields of trade and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

 

FM Muttaqi said not only Kazakhstan can take benefit from trade & transit via Afghanistan, but also from investment opportunities created in Afghanistan for the Kazakh traders.

 

FM Muttaqi expressed pleasure that the trade level between Afghanistan & Kazakhstan has risen over the last one year reaching $900 million.

Highlighting growth in bilateral trade, FM Muttaqi called on Mr. Zhumangarin to facilitate visa process for Afghan traders.

 

Later, Mr. Serik Zhumangarin said that Kazakhstan has had long historic relations with Afghanistan & that the Kazakh government has not suspended its embassy in Kabul during times of hardship, adding that a group of Kazakh traders are accompanying him on this visit so that business relations between the two countries could be further enhanced.

He also added that Kazakhstan has previously provided humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and will continue to do so in the future as well.

 

Mr. Xhumangarin said that Afghanistan has a special transit position in the region connecting Central & South Asia, and Kazakhstan is trying to connect Afghanistan with the region through railways to pave the way for trade, adding that recently Kazakh companies are working together with Afghanistan in the field of railways.

Mr. Zhomangarin said that as the Minister of Trade of Kazakhstan, all my focus is on the region, & increasing transit potential of Afghanistan is a shared goal.

 

Also, he pledged to facilitate the visa process to Afghan businessmen in cooperation with the Afghan MoCI and MoFA.

To end, FM Muttaqi highlighted that the foreign policy of the Afghan government is balanced and economic-centric, and that regional transit and connectivity via Afghanistan are among the priorities of Afghanistan’s foreign policy.