A meeting was held in Kabul between the Head of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Afghanistan, Gaziz Akbasov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, highlighting growing interest on both sides in expanding bilateral cooperation, DKNews.kz reports.
At the outset of the talks, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi welcomed the Kazakh delegation and подчеркнул Afghanistan’s readiness for practical cooperation, noting that the development of relations with Kazakhstan holds significant importance for Kabul.
Ambassador Gaziz Akbasov expressed gratitude for the warm reception, conveyed greetings and best wishes from Kazakhstan’s leadership, and voiced confidence that bilateral ties would continue to strengthen and expand.
Afghanistan as a Key Transit Hub
During the meeting, the Kazakh side emphasized the positive dynamics of bilateral relations, particularly in the trade and economic sphere. Kazakhstan views Afghanistan as a key partner and a strategic transit hub connecting Central and South Asia, a role that is gaining importance amid growing regional connectivity.
In this context, Kazakhstan confirmed its readiness to increase trade volumes, diversify the range of traded goods, and invest in Afghanistan’s priority sectors. These include transport and logistics infrastructure, agricultural processing, the mining and metallurgical industry, energy, and healthcare.
Railway Project and Economic Missions
Special attention was given to the “Turghundi – Herat – Spin Boldak” railway project, which was highlighted as a concrete example of strengthening regional connectivity and facilitating trade flows between neighboring regions.
The sides also noted the successful practice of mutual trade and economic missions, which over the past four years have resulted in the signing of agreements worth more than USD 500 million.
Humanitarian Support and Regional Dialogue
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi expressed appreciation to Kazakhstan for its ongoing humanitarian assistance, stressing Kazakhstan’s priority role in Afghanistan’s foreign policy. He also underscored the importance of Kazakhstan’s involvement in key infrastructure initiatives, including the railway project.
In order to further strengthen regional cooperation, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed holding talks in Kabul at the level of foreign ministers in the format “Central Asia + Afghanistan.”
Overall, the meeting took place in a friendly and constructive atmosphere, reaffirming the mutual interest of both sides in further developing political, trade, economic, and infrastructure cooperation.
