ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu paid a working visit to Afghanistan on July 10, where he met with senior Afghan officials to deepen cooperation in trade, transit, agriculture, and infrastructure, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported.
Murat Nurtleu with Abdul Ghani Baradar. Photo credit: gov.kz
During a meeting with the Acting Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar, Nurtleu discussed prospects for joint projects in trade, transit, and agriculture, as well as in geological exploration and digitization.
Baradar expressed Kabul’s hopes that new infrastructure initiatives would create jobs in Afghanistan. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on the fundamental principles of construction and operation of the connectivity of Central Asia and South Asia railway.
With Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi, Nurtleu highlighted Kazakhstan’s priorities in agriculture, logistics, digitization, mineral extraction, and trade, and reiterated plans to raise bilateral trade turnover to $3 billion.
He expressed Kazakhstan’s readiness to ramp up exports of agricultural products, fuel and lubricants, mineral fertilizers, and chemical industry goods, while also discussing ways to expand Afghan exports such as fresh and dried fruits, mineral water, and non-alcoholic beverages to Kazakhstan via the border town of Turgundi and Turkmenistan.
The two countries also examined developing the Trans-Afghan transport route, and Kazakhstan confirmed plans to invest in the Turgundi-Herat railway to bolster regional trade connectivity.
Kazakhstan pledged to expand humanitarian support, enhance food security efforts, and improve Afghan access to medical services. It also announced plans to double educational scholarships for Afghan students.
Muttaqi thanked Kazakhstan for advancing the Afghan agenda in international organizations and for its humanitarian aid, voicing full support for the proposed UN Regional Center on Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
