Afghan Traders in Ashgabat Discuss Proposed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan Transit Corridor

A delegation from the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment was in Turkmenistan in recent days as the two countries explore ways to boost trade and develop transit corridors, according to Afghan state media. Mawlawi Fazal Mohammad Saber, Afghanistan’s chargé d'affaires in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat, met the group of Afghan traders during their visit, the National Radio and Television of Afghanistan, also known as RTA, reported on Thursday. The Afghan delegates and their counterparts in Turkmenistan discussed a proposal to create a new transit corridor from the Turkmen city of Turkmenabat to the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif, according to TOLOnews, a news organization based in Kabul. It said the Afghan side had invited Turkmenistan to send a delegation of 100 traders and investors to Afghanistan. Turkmenabat is an economic hub in eastern Turkmenistan that is close to the border with Uzbekistan. Mazar-e-Sharif is the biggest city in northern Afghanistan and is a significant transit point for trade in Central Asia. Mazar-e-Sharif is closely linked to Uzbek trade and transport networks, though Turkmenistan has also been working to expand its economic presence in the city. The latest outreach between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan reflects a wider policy among Central Asian countries to expand economic ties with Taliban authorities in Kabul and increase access to South Asian and other markets, adding to the landlocked region’s options for trade at a time of geopolitical uncertainty. The leadership of those countries retains concerns about the security situation in Afghanistan, but hopes that engagement will help to stabilize their southern neighbor. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are key drivers of Central Asia’s growing relationship with Afghanistan. One of the high-profile projects featuring Ashgabat’s involvement is the planned 1,800-kilometer Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, which has faced years of delays and challenges, including heightened Afghan-Pakistani tensions.