Tehran, Kabul Plan to Raise Annual Trade to $10 Billion
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian official unveiled plans to increase the value of trade exchanges with Afghanistan to $10 billion per annum.
The economic advisor of the Iranian president’s special envoy for Afghanistan said the trade target has been set for a period of three to five years.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony, held in Tehran on Thursday for signing an economic cooperation MoU between Iran and Afghanistan, Mohammad Mahdi Javanmard said the two neighbors have weighed plans to promote cooperation, particularly in the fields relating to border markets, free trade zones, customs, transportation, and mining industry.
Iran and Afghanistan are expected to implement the new MoU within the next two weeks, he said.
Javanmard added that the expansion of economic and trade relations, coupled with the construction of the second bridge at the Milak border crossing and the facilitation of customs procedures between the two countries, will be accelerated optimally.
He then pointed to the construction of the Khaf-Herat railroad project, the completion of which he said will boost the bilateral trade to a great extent, according to IRNA.
The advisor finally pointed to China-Afghanistan-Iran Transport Corridor, saying China has positive views on important issues such as the employment of the rail and transit routes passing through Iran and Afghanistan, as well as easy access to the international waters and access routes to Europe.
