Iran to Establish Trade Center, Permanent Exhibition in Afghanistan
The officials of the embassy said that the establishment of this center will benefit trade between Iran and Afghanistan.
“The next step is to establish a trade center and permanent exhibition of Iran in Kabul which will be inaugurated soon--within one month,” said Sayed Abas Badrifar, press director of Iran's embassy in Kabul.
This comes as the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment said that traders are facing problems in the export of commodities to Iran and that the establishment of this center will help the traders.
“If the trade center is built, it benefits our traders. Its plans and responsibilities must be clarified, particularly there should be facilities for our trade and export,” said Khanjan Alokozai, a member of the ACCI.
This comes as some traders complained that the export to Iran has dropped and that their main problem is an increase in tariffs.
“The main reason for the reduction of our exports is lack of marketing for products from Afghanistan,” said Mahbobullah Mohammadi, an Afghan trader.
The embassy of Iran also vowed to facilitate the issuance of visas for traders.
Earlier, the World Bank reported that it provided Afghanistan imported commodities worth nearly $3 billion between January and June, with 23 percent of this from Iran.
As Khaama Press reported, Afghan officials have said that the volume of imports from Iran, such as food and fuel, has totaled more than $1 billion so far this year (March 2021-22). Whereas, Afghanistan’s export volume to Iran was much lower and totaled only $20.
Iran is one of the few countries which maintained close ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban regime. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Iran has continued trading with Afghanistan, kept issuing visas to Afghans, and continued delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan during these difficult times.
With the US, Iran’s arch-rival and enemy gone, the situation is perfectly suitable for Iran to strengthen its economic and political relations with the Taliban, exploit the country’s resources, and turn Afghanistan into a lucrative market for its products and commercial goods.
Prior to this, Iranian business officials had visited Afghanistan and met with the Taliban authorities aimed at discussing potential investment in the war-torn country. Despite all the odds, Afghanistan can still become a potential business hub for Iran.
Meanwhile, Taliban authorities are desperately looking for potential foreign investments as the country is going through the worst economic, humanitarian, and power crises.
The Iranian ambassador in Kabul says that the current situation is the best opportunity to invest in Afghanistan’s mining sector.
“Now is the best opportunity to invest in Afghanistan’s mines, and we inspire Iranian investors to invest in Afghanistan,” Kazemi Qomi was quoted by Bakhtar News Agency as saying recently.
Cooperation with Afghanistan in various sectors is on the agenda of his country as one of Iran’s main strategies, based on a humanitarian and moral-Islamic view and securing economic benefits, he added.
He spoke about the importance of the steel industry in his country, added that there is no better country than Afghanistan in the field of mining for Iran.
“Afghanistan is a close country for Iran in terms of carrying out economic activities and transferring knowledge and technology, as far there is good diplomatic ties, between two neighboring countries.”
He noted that currently part of Iran’s basic goods needs are supplied through imports from distant countries such as Australia, Brazil, and Latin American countries, while Iran can utilize Afghanistan.
In a meeting with several Iranian investors, Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum asked them to invest in Afghanistan’s mining sector.