Afghanistan - The Times Of Central Asia

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Mirziyoyev Calls for Independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as Capital

Speaking at this week's summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Bishkek, Uzbekistan's president Shavkat Mirziyoyev has once again discussed the situation in the Middle East. Mirziyoyev noted that global geopolitical processes have become increasingly complex since the start of the war in the region. The atmosphere of competition and mistrust between countries is intensifying, the hotbeds of conflict and war are increasing, and various dangers are growing. "These problems are a severe obstacle to our joint plans and big projects in trade, investment, transport, energy, agriculture, and other fields; this is the truth," Mirziyoyev said. “It is, first and foremost, about the ongoing war in the Middle East and the double standards that we see. Nothing can justify the unprecedented humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and Lebanon, the devastating attacks against civilians, especially the death of innocent children, the elderly, and women. We strongly condemn the actions aimed at restricting the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. The only solution to this long-standing conflict is the establishment of an independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, by international regulations and resolutions,” noted Mirziyoyev. He hoped the Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh next week would find a clear political solution to this problem. He also highlighted the importance of Afghanistan’s stability: “When it comes to security, we believe Afghanistan should always be at the focus of our Organization. In this regard, it is crucial to establish a regular dialogue mechanism at the ministerial and expert levels. We believe that the issues of providing support to de facto authorities in addressing acute problems in Afghanistan, integrating this country into regional economic processes, and implementing social and infrastructure projects should be considered.”

production Automobile Industry Export/Import Afghanistan

Kazakhstan Considering Car Exports to Afghanistan

In October this year, during the Kazakh-Afghan forum, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin reported on Kabul's request to set up deliveries of cars manufactured in Kostanai and Almaty to Afghanistan. According to the Deputy Prime Minister's assessment, the first Kazakhstani cars may appear on the Afghan market as early as next year; automobile industry experts agree with him but note that the realism of this term will become apparent after at least several months of research. “I understand that Afghanistan already has money; its middle class is developing, so they asked to organize meetings with our car industry businesses to create car centers to sell old and new Kazakhstani cars. I have already contacted several people about this issue, and we are working on it now. I think it is realistic to start selling the first cars next year,” Zhumangarin said. At the same time, he emphasized that the most crucial issue in establishing such a project has already been resolved. In October, Kazakhstan's Zaman Bank opened a corresponding account at one of the largest banks in Afghanistan, Ghazanafar Bank. This means that Kazakhstani businesses can receive direct payments from Afghan buyers without the participation of financial institutions of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Gulf countries, which charge additional fees for intermediation. Thus, the issue of financial logistics - how the money for sold cars from Afghanistan will arrive in Kazakhstan - has been fundamentally solved, according to Artur Miskaryan, general director of the Agency for Monitoring and Analysis of the Automobile Market of Kazakhstan (AMAAR), and there are no problems with direct logistics - cars manufactured in Kostanai and Almaty can be transported to this country by rail. Kazakh grain companies have already established this route. In addition, this summer, at the first transport trade and export forum held in Aktau, representatives of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan discussed the possibility of building a new railway line Turgundi - Herat - Kandahar - Spin-Buldak, which will run from the western border of Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and further to India. Kazakhstan is offered to join the construction of this logistic path, including withdrawing its vehicles to Afghanistan and the countries bordering it. So, logistic paths to Kabul, existing and potential, are acceptable for Kazakhstan's automobile industry. “From a purely technical point of view, companies of the Kazakhstani automobile industry are ready to supply equipment to all neighboring and nearby countries,” explained Miskaryan. "The issue of supplying products to one or another country largely depends on the terms of economic agreements of the Republic of Kazakhstan with other countries, as well as the policy of the head offices of brands whose models are assembled at our car plants: in the case of Russia, for example, Western head brands adhere to the sanctions restrictions on supplies. There is also the problem of customs and tariff policy of neighboring [sic] countries: in particular, Russia and Uzbekistan have recently directed their efforts to increase support for local producers.” Since Afghanistan has no automotive industry,...

Economy Water Security Ecology Environmental Awareness Oil and Gas Oil Afghanistan

Afghanistan to Boost Oil Production in the Amu Darya Basin

Afghanistan plans to launch 25 new oil wells in the Amu Darya basin, increasing daily oil production to 3,000 tons. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, shared that there are currently 24 active wells in this field, from which 1,300 tons of oil are extracted daily. According to Fitrat: "The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum plans to activate 25 more wells by the end of this year, of which 18 will be newly drilled, two will be exploratory wells, and five will be rehabilitated.” Economic experts stress that officials should carefully plan new well drilling and attract investors to process the extracted oil. Economic expert Abdul Zahoor Madaber stated that Afghanistan has abundant natural resources but lacks modern machinery to process them, and cooperation with other countries is needed to import this equipment. Mohammad Asif Stanekzai, another economic expert, added: “The production and processing of natural resources can create job opportunities and have a positive impact on reducing inflation in Afghanistan.” According to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, only 10% of Afghanistan’s oil needs are currently met from domestic production. The Amu Darya is a vital river for Central Asian countries. While 72-73% of its water originates in Tajikistan, the majority is used by neighboring countries. In April of this year, the countries of Central Asia distributed Amu Darya and Syrdarya water for the summer of 2024. Under the agreed quota, the draw on water from the Amu Darya watershed will be 56 billion cubic meters for the year, with about 40 billion cubic meters used in the April-to-October growing season. As stated in the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) agreement, Uzbekistan will receive 16 billion cubic meters, Turkmenistan will receive 15.5 billion cubic meters, and Tajikistan will receive 6.9 billion cubic meters. The ICWC claims that the total number of irrigated lands in Central Asian countries is 4.3 million hectares in Uzbekistan, 2.5 million hectares in Kazakhstan, 1.9 million hectares in Turkmenistan, 1 million hectares in Kyrgyzstan, and 680,000 hectares in Tajikistan.

Trade and Logistics Foreign trade turnover International trade Bilateral Cooperation Bilateral Trade Export/Import Afghanistan

Kazakhstan and Afghanistan Seek to Increase Trade to $3 Billion

On October 22, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin and Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nuriddin Azizi, signed a roadmap to increase Kazakh-Afghan trade turnover to $3 billion at a business forum in Almaty. This follows Kazakhstan’s removal of the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations in June as part of an effort to develop trade and economic ties with Afghanistan. The roadmap includes Kazakhstan’s participation in constructing two railway lines in Afghanistan: Turgundi—Herat—Kandahar—Spin Boldak and Mazar-i-Sharif—Harlachi. It also aims to expand the range of goods in bilateral trade, develop cooperation in the chemical industry, and increase the export of Kazakh ammophos materials to Afghanistan. Additionally, the roadmap includes plans to export both new and used cars manufactured in Kazakhstan, set up service centers in Afghanistan, and build schools in the region. According to Kazakh officials, there is significant potential to increase grain and flour exports to Afghanistan while importing Afghan fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, and other food products. Kazakhstan is also interested in supporting Afghanistan’s economic development and integration into international transport corridors. In the first half of 2024, the volume of road transit from Afghanistan through Kazakhstan increased by 8%, exceeding 5,000 tons, compared to 10,000 tons last year. Deputy Prime Minister Zhumangarin noted at the forum that a railway corridor connects Kazakhstan and Afghanistan through Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan is also interested in using the Trans-Afghan corridor, which runs through the Karachi and Gwadar seaports in Pakistan, to facilitate the transit of Kazakh export cargo to markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The Afghan delegation was offered access to the dry port of Khorgos on the Kazakh-Chinese border to ensure the smooth transit of Afghan goods to China via Kazakhstan. The business forum in Almaty coincided with Kazakh-Afghan negotiations on the logistics of transporting goods from China to Afghanistan and back through Kazakhstan. The event also featured an exhibition of Afghan food and industrial products.

International transport Afghanistan Export/Import Bilateral Cooperation Trade and Logistics

Kazakhstan and Afghanistan Discuss Transport Links for Trade with China

At a meeting in Almaty on October 21, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin and Afghanistan's Minister of Industry and Commerce Nuriddin Azizi addressed the logistics of transportation of goods from China to Afghanistan and back through Kazakhstan. In June, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that his country had removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations in a move to develop trade and economic ties with Afghanistan. In late August, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry accredited a chargé d’affaires of Taliban-led Afghanistan to expand trade, financial, and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries. As the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration reported, one critical issue is the reverse loading of railcars and containers on their way back from Afghanistan. To reduce the cost of logistics, Kazakhstan is considering loading empty railcars with Afghan fruits and vegetables, persimmons, beans, and other food products for delivery to Kazakhstan. Bauyrzhan Urynbasarov, managing director of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the country's national railway company, proposed two options for reverse loading empty containers and railcars. The first is a circular train route: container trains traveling from China through Kazakhstan to Afghanistan are loaded with Afghan goods bound for China. From there, they pass through the port of Karachi in Pakistan before returning to China. In the second route, trains reach Afghanistan, where they are reloaded and loaded with Afghan goods, then return to Kazakhstan, where, after unloading, they are packed with Kazakh goods and go to China. Zhumangarin proposed that the Afghan side use the capacities of the Kazakh terminal in the Chinese dry port in Xi'an, the Kazakh-Chinese logistics terminal in the port of Lianyungang, and the terminal currently under construction in the dry port of Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang. The parties also agreed to organize an interregional Kazakh-Afghan forum, where the provinces of Afghanistan and the regions of Kazakhstan could discuss cooperation projects. According to Kazakh statistics, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan amounted to $330.7 million from January to August 2024. Exports from Kazakhstan to Afghanistan totaled $316.5 million, including flour, sunflower oil, natural gas, and fertilizers. Afghanistan's exports reached $14.1 million, mainly mineral water, fruits, juices, and aluminum products. The Afghan delegation arrived in Almaty on October 20 to participate in an exhibition of Afghan food and industrial products.

multimodal transportation International transport Government Legislation Economy Afghanistan taxes

Levies on Uzbek Drivers in Afghanistan Reduced

According to the Ministry of Transport in Uzbekistan, negotiations with Afghanistan have reduced the levies collected from Uzbek drivers in Afghanistan by 5,000 Afghanis (about $80). A levy of 12,000 Afghanis (about $180) was previously charged to cross the Amudarya bridge. Since September 28, this amount has been set at 7,000 Afghani (about $100). The fee for entering Afghanistan with a cargo vehicle, which was 5,000 Afghanis (about $75), has decreased to 3,500 Afghanis (about $55). According to the announcement, the Ministry of Transport continues to create favorable conditions for cargo transportation through the Trans-Afghan multimodal transport corridor, and to optimize the number of levies. This transport corridor accelerates and simplifies the increase and processing of transit cargo through Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In recent years, the volume of transit cargo through Afghanistan has increased by over 30%, reaching almost 1 million tons per year. Following a transit trade agreement between Uzbekistan and Pakistan in 2021, cargo volumes have increased significantly, and in 2022, cargo transportation between the two countries through Afghanistan increased 2.5-fold. This year, Uzbekistan plans to transport more than 1 million tons of cargo through Afghanistan to Pakistan.