Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund Meets with the PM of Kazakhstan

Today, July 4, 2025, in the city of Khankendi, Azerbaijan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, Deputy PM for Economic Affairs, met with the PM of Kazakhstan.

During the meeting, both sides discussed political, economic, and trade-related matters between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan.

Deputy PM Mullah Baradar Akhund referred to Kazakhstan as an important and trustworthy regional partner for Afghanistan and appreciated the designation of a special envoy by Kazakhstan for Afghanistan as a positive step. He expressed gratitude to the Republic of Kazakhstan for its support of Afghanistan in international forums.

The Deputy PM stated that Afghanistan serves as a key transit route for Kazakhstan to the Middle East and South Asia and could also be a corridor linking Kazakhstan to Europe. He encouraged Kazakhstan to utilize the available opportunities in investment, trade, railway development, and transit cooperation.

In order to raise bilateral trade volume to USD 3 billion, the Deputy PM emphasized the importance of signing an agricultural health and quarantine agreement for agricultural products, facilitating visa issuance for Afghan nationals, and opening accounts for Afghan banks in Kazakhstan’s Zaman and Freedom Banks. He assured that Afghan banks are ready for such arrangements.

Regarding the enhancement of bilateral trade, the Deputy PM highlighted that Afghanistan has initiated the establishment of an operational company to handle imports and exports via rail, which will soon be introduced to Kazakhstan. He mentioned that a draft agreement on international freight transport has been prepared and shared, and serious work is underway to reduce transit fees on goods passing through Afghanistan. Additionally, a multilateral cooperation agreement in industrial, commercial, and transport sectors involving Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan has been drafted, with Kazakhstan’s collaboration deemed essential.

Following this, Kazakhstan’s PM also spoke. He stated that Kazakhstan enjoys good relations with Afghanistan and that its Foreign Minister would soon visit Kabul to further enhance ties.

The PM of Kazakhstan announced that Kazakhstan will soon invest USD 500 million in the Torghundi–Herat railway project in Afghanistan. He also expressed interest in investing in Afghanistan’s mining sector and noted readiness to increase imports of Afghan fruits and to facilitate Afghanistan’s exports through Kazakh territory.

He added that Kazakhstan is among the ten countries with the highest volume of trade with Afghanistan and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to further expanding these commercial ties.