The Ministry of Industry and Commerce said that in the first five months of the current solar year, Afghanistan has conducted trade worth nearly $700 million with Central Asian countries.
Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the ministry, said that around $60 million of exports have been made, and the ministry is working to increase the level of exports to Central Asian countries.
Since the return of the Islamic Emirate, greater attention has been paid to expanding Afghanistan’s trade relations with Central Asian countries. Meetings and negotiations between representatives of the Islamic Emirate and representatives of Central Asian countries, as well as the organization of joint exhibitions, have contributed to the development of trade between Afghanistan and these countries.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said: “Afghanistan’s trade with Central Asian countries in the first five months of the year 1403 has proceeded normally, amounting to $684 million, including $60 million in exports and $624 million in imports.”
The Chamber of Commerce and Investment has also emphasized the need to facilitate trade and transit with Central Asian countries.
Jan Aqa Nawid, spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said: “Our relations with various countries in the world, including regional countries, are expanding. Our exports are on the rise, and imports from different countries continue.”
Sakhi Ahmad Paiman, Deputy of the Chamber of Industries and Mines of Afghanistan, said: “We mainly import petroleum products from Central Asian countries, and our exports consist of industrial goods. I hope the balance between our exports and imports with Central Asian countries reaches a point where this region becomes a good market for Afghanistan’s manufactured goods.”
According to information from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Afghanistan conducts trade worth about $10 billion annually, including $2 billion in exports and $8 billion in imports from other countries.