Iran Says Ready to Work With Afghan State Firms in Energy and Agriculture
The Taliban administration says Iran has expressed readiness to cooperate with Afghanistan’s state-owned companies in the sectors of oil, electricity, chemical fertiliser production, improved seed and poultry farming. If implemented, such cooperation could cover part of the country’s economic and production needs.
The General Directorate of State-Owned Companies said the matter was raised during a meeting between Mawlawi Ahmadjan Bilal, the head of the department, and Alireza Bikdeli, Iran’s ambassador in Kabul. According to the department, the two sides discussed expanding economic, trade and development cooperation, as well as joint investment in the oil, electricity, chemical fertiliser and agriculture sectors.
According to a statement from the General Directorate of State-Owned Companies, Bilal described cooperation with Iran in areas related to state companies as important and stressed the need to strengthen relations among Islamic countries in the region. Meanwhile, according to the Taliban administration, the Iranian ambassador also emphasised expanding bilateral cooperation and said Tehran was interested in working with Afghanistan’s state-owned companies in several key economic sectors.
During the meeting, the two sides also reviewed ways to expand economic, trade and development relations between Afghanistan and Iran. The Taliban administration also said that Bilal will soon travel to Iran to finalise contracts related to petroleum products and discuss trade expansion with Iranian officials.
Iran is considered one of Afghanistan’s important trading partners, and a large share of Afghanistan’s fuel imports and some basic goods are supplied from the country.
