Taliban Administration Urges Expanded Economic Ties With Iran
The Taliban administration has stressed the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Iran at an economic meeting with Iranian officials, where the development of bilateral relations and joint investment in Afghanistan’s agriculture sector were central to the talks.
Noureddin Azizi, the acting minister of industry and commerce in the Taliban administration, said at the Afghanistan-Iran Business Relations Conference that economic solidarity between Afghanistan and Iran could help strengthen the economies of both countries and the region. He added that neighbours and regional countries are among the priorities of the Taliban administration’s economic policies.
According to Azizi, Afghanistan and Iran can create greater growth for their own economies and the region by expanding economic and trade cooperation. He made the remarks without providing specific details on any agreements or implementation plans for the cooperation.
At the meeting, Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh, Iran’s minister of agriculture jihad and head of the Iranian joint commission for economic cooperation between the two countries, also stressed the expansion of relations between Afghanistan and Iran. He also thanked Afghanistan for its support and cooperation during the third imposed war.
The Iranian official said Iran and Afghanistan, as two independent countries, are inevitably bound to strengthen ties with one another, and that food security is among the areas where both sides can use each other’s capacities. The conference also discussed the economic relations of the two countries, cooperation in different periods, mutual needs and joint investment in Afghanistan’s agriculture sector.
Iran is considered one of Afghanistan’s most important trading partners, and a significant share of trade between the two countries takes place through Afghanistan’s western borders.
