Authorities in Afghanistan and Kazakhstan have signed a memorandum launching an investment project to construct a railway linking the Afghan city of Herat with Turgundi, near the Turkmenistan border. The deal, worth $500 mln, will be financed by Kazakhstan, according to the Afghan state news agency Bakhtar, citing the press office of the Islamic Emirate’s economic administration.
The agreement was signed in Kabul during a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Afghanistan for Economic Affairs.
Boosting Trade and Connectivity in the Region
During the meeting, both parties discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, transit, energy, telecommunications and banking. Kazakhstan expressed its readiness to increase electricity exports to Afghanistan and help Afghan agricultural goods enter the Kazakh market.
Mullah Baradar emphasised that the railway project would enhance Afghanistan’s transit capabilities and contribute to broader regional economic integration. Talks also included potential agreements in logistics and agriculture, the opening of major trade centres and the reduction of transit fees.
As cooperation deepens, officials anticipate that bilateral trade could grow to $3 bln in the near future.
Kursiv also reports that the ICC announced that it has issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban officials, Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The document received support from 116 countries, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
