The trade turnover between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan reached $481 million in 2023, the TOLOnews network reported. This information was provided by a representative of the Afghan Ministry of Commerce and Industry while commenting on the meeting between the acting Minister of Trade and Industry of Afghanistan and the Ambassador of Turkmenistan in Kabul.
The parties discussed various trade issues, including the expansion of Afghan marble exports to Turkmenistan, and agreed to organize an exhibition of Afghan products in Ashgabat.
Afghanistan aims to increase its export volume in 2024, also counting on opportunities to boost the transit of its goods through Turkmenistan to other countries, such as Kazakhstan. This perspective was expressed by the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment.
Key items in Turkmenistan's exports to Afghanistan include electricity, petroleum products, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), while Afghanistan primarily supplies marble and some agricultural products to Turkmenistan, according to the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Furthermore, to foster economic development in both countries, Ashgabat and Kabul plan to jointly construct a new railway. This project is part of the Trans-Afghan Railway with a total length of 573 km. It involves building one of the highest-altitude railways in the world, reaching altitudes of over 3,000 meters.
Turkmenistan is the only Central Asian country with experience in collaborating with the Taliban since the late 1990s, following their initial rise to power. At that time, Turkmenistan officially recognized the authority of the Taliban.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 15, 2024