Kazakhstan and Afghanistan have advanced their economic relationship with the signing of $140 million in new trade agreements. These deals were concluded during a recent Afghanistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum in Kabul, which was attended by over 400 business leaders, entrepreneurs, and government officials from both countries.
The trade agreements, finalized during a visit by a Kazakh delegation, involve the supply of various Kazakh goods to Afghanistan. The event provided a platform for Kazakhstan’s trade policy development center, QazTrade, and the Ministry of Trade and Integration to engage with Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government on strengthening trade ties.
At the forum, QazTrade signed three memorandums of cooperation with key Afghan institutions, including the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines, and the International Exhibition Center of Afghanistan. These agreements build on a broader economic framework that was previously established in October 2024, which aims to foster long-term bilateral cooperation.
Afghanistan has been actively seeking to attract investment and strengthen trade partnerships as part of its efforts to rebuild its economy following years of conflict.
This latest development follows Kazakhstan’s broader strategic goals to enhance regional trade and cooperation. In June 2024, Kazakhstan removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations, a move that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev indicated was designed to support regional trade initiatives. At a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Almaty, Tokayev emphasized the importance of integrating Afghanistan into regional economic processes.
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, the country has become a growing trade partner for Kazakhstan. In 2022, bilateral trade between the two nations reached nearly $1 billion, marking a significant increase compared to previous years. Kazakhstan remains a key supplier of food products to Afghanistan, particularly flour, which constituted 70 percent of Afghan imports from Kazakhstan in 2022. In return, Kazakhstan imports goods like sweet, non-alcoholic beverages from Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan is also investing in Afghanistan’s infrastructure to enhance trade connectivity. A key development in this area is the signing of a protocol to begin the construction of the Turgundi-Herat-Kandahar-Spin Boldak railway line. This agreement was formalized during a visit by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy, Serik Zhumangarin, to Afghanistan this week.
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