ASTANA – Three countries agreed to enhance transit and transport infrastructure in Afghanistan at an April 27 trilateral meeting between Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin, Director General of the Transport and Communications Agency under Turkmenistan’s Cabinet of Ministers Mammetkhan Chakyev, and Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industry Nooruddin Azizi in Kabul, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
Serik Zhumangarin at a trilateral meeting on April 27. Photo credit: primeminister.kz
The parties will create favorable and competitive tariff conditions to ensure the swift passage of container trains from China through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, and onward to Pakistan, India, and Middle Eastern countries.
According to preliminary calculations, the delivery time for goods via the accelerated route from China’s Xian/Urumqi to Afghanistan’s Turgundi and Andkhoy will be reduced to 10-12 days.
The new transit route will allow Afghanistan to ensure an uninterrupted supply of Chinese goods to the west of the country and significantly cut delivery costs compared to alternative transport modes.
Afghan businesses were invited to use the capabilities of the Kazakh terminal in the Xian dry port to consolidate the most popular goods into container trains for direct shipment, including solar panels, diesel generators, mobile phones, and office equipment.
Zhumangarin emphasized the need for calculations and reorientation of traffic flows, highlighting upcoming infrastructure development initiatives.
“All this will help develop the Turkmen infrastructure and ours at Beineu-Aktau-Bolashak,” he said.
The parties noted that the eastern branch of the international North-South transport corridor had gained new impetus to become a key route for transporting goods from Russia and Belarus through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, India, and the Middle East.
Following the negotiations, they agreed to establish a working group to implement the agreements reached.
