Afghanistan aims to increase trade with Central Asian countries to $10 billion within the next three to four years, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Sunday.
Trade with Central Asian countries to the north of Afghanistan will reach about 2.7 billion dollars in 2025, which is a significant increase from previous years, Muttaqi said.
He said the new trade goal of Afghanistan and its neighbors in a meeting of “constructive dialogue” in Kabul with representatives from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The meeting covered political, economic and security issues, regional cooperation, trade and the expansion of transit routes.
Muttaqi said Afghanistan is seeking to use its “geographical position” to connect Central Asia with South and West Asia.
Among the major projects is the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline, a major project between Herat in western Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, of which about 25 kilometers (15 miles) have been completed so far on the Afghan side.
