Kazakhstan’s President Calls for Stronger Political Ties with Afghanistan

In this meeting, held on the sidelines of the Astana conference, President Tokayev also stressed increasing trade between Kabul and Astana to more than 3 billion dollars.

The Kazakh president further noted that after the Islamic Emirate regained power, Kazakhstan kept its embassy in Kabul open and maintained its diplomatic ties.

Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, told TOLOnews: “The leadership of the Ministry thanked Kazakhstan for removing the name of the Islamic Emirate from the list of terrorist organizations and for its diplomatic support of the Islamic Emirate on the global stage.”

Nooruddin Azizi also welcomed Kazakhstan’s diplomatic support for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan at the international level.

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment announced that the current trade volume between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan stands at around 600 million dollars.

Khanjan Alokozay, a board member of the Chamber, told TOLOnews: “We have about 600 million dollars in trade with Kazakhstan. Recently, our exports to Kazakhstan have increased; our fruits and potatoes are being sent there, and Kazakhstan is very interested in expanding relations with Afghanistan.”

Economic analyst Abdul Shakoor Hadaewal said: “If regional countries, including Kazakhstan, sign important economic agreements with Afghanistan, there is no doubt that the economies of the region and Afghanistan will grow, creating job opportunities for thousands of people.”

It is worth noting that following recent political changes and the relative establishment of security in Afghanistan, Central Asian countries, especially Kazakhstan, have been working to strengthen diplomatic and trade ties with Kabul and use Afghanistan as a route to access South Asian markets.