The Prime Minister’s Press Service reported that Kazakhstan provided humanitarian aid to people in Afghanistan on 15 April during the visit by Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zungarin (pictured). Aida Haidar writes about this in Central Asia Editor’s Picks International.
Rail was the main means of humanitarian aid. It consisted of food products such as canned milk, flour, vegetable oil and buckwheat. The Kazakh delegation took the medicine boxes on board the plane.
Zhumangarin stated that the President Kassym Jomart Tokayev’s instructions govern the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Zhumangarin stated, “It’s symbolic that our humanitarian missions take place during Ramadan. During this blessed time for Muslims everywhere, I wish peace and tranquility and happiness to all.”
The Minister emphasized that Kazakhstan was one of a few countries to maintain a diplomatic presence at Kabul. He also expressed his desire for Afghanistan to be a prosperous and stable country, with good relations with its neighbours.
In Afghanistan, a Kazakh trading house will be set up. Photo credit: Prime minister’s Press service
“We will continue to work to strengthen economic and trade relations, including by providing humanitarian assistance. Kazakhstan’s export potential for Afghanistan is $174 million in the food, petrochemicals, chemicals, metallurgical products, light machine-building and construction industries. “I believe that including these products in bilateral trade will be beneficial to both countries,” said he.
Zhumangarin met during his visit with the Acting Minister of Trade and Industry of Afghanistan Nuriddin Azizi, Acting Vice Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. He also met Acting Minister of Communications and Telecommunications Najibullah Hasqani.
Zhumangarin’s delegation took part in an Afghan-Kazakh business forum held in Kabul. 18 Kazakh exporters of food products were also present. Businesses signed a $4-million agreement to supply Afghan flour.
The delegation announced that a Kazakh trading house would be established in Afghanistan with its main office located in Herat. The main objective of the delegation is to intensify and promote bilateral relations, including in economics and trade, telecommunications and transportation, and logistic, use Afghanistan’s border and transit potential for trade, and attract investment into Kazakhstan’s economy.
A $4 million contract to supply flour to Afghanistan has been signed by Kazakh-Afghan businesses in Kabul. Photo credit: Prime minister’s press service.
The center will provide advice to Kazakh and Afghan businesses on the export of domestic products and services, trade laws, marketing research and analysis, as well as development prospects and issues.
In 2022, the bilateral trade turnover between Kazakhstan Afghanistan was $987.9 millions. This is 2.1 more than in the previous year (474.3 million). Kazakh exports totaled $978.9 millions in 2022. This is a 2.1-fold increase. In 2022, Afghan imports into Kazakhstan increased by 82.6% and totaled $9.1 millions.
The trade between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan in January-February of 2023 was $282.6 millions, a 94.6 percent increase over the previous year (145.2 million). Exports from Kazakhstan to Afghanistan grew 95 percent between January and February 2023, reaching $281.5 millions. In January-February 2023 the imports of Afghanistan into Kazakhstan increased by 28.3 %, totaling $1.1 million.
Kazakhstan has provided continuous aid to the Afghan people. President Tokayev stated that Afghanistan should be a united, stable and sovereign state living in peace and harmony with its own people and neighbors.
Tokayev said, “We are prepared to establish productive business contact with the new officials, in order to alleviate the severe humanitarian problems that this country has been facing for a very long time.”
In August of last year, Kazakhstan gavecloses to 20 tonnes in commodities such as grains and 60,000 liters oil, as well as 200 beds, mattresses and blankets as well as 2,000 coats, pants and sheets as 2,000 sets. A 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Paktika Province on June 22, left over 1,000 dead and thousands homeless.
The contribution is the largest ever made by Kazakhstan in support of Afghanistan under the United Nations World Food Program.
UN confirms that the largest humanitarian crisis in history is taking place in Afghanistan. Ramiz Alakbarov , UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan, said that more than 28 million Afghans are in need of urgent aid.
After the visit, Taliban officials, who are listed as prohibited foreign organizations in Kazakhstan have asked Kazakh officials to accredit Afghan diplomats on their behalf. Aibek Smadiyarov, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Astana who spoke about the news at a briefing on April 17 said that Kazakhstan had made a positive response to the accreditation requests from the interim administration of Afghanistan.
“I would clarify the matter.” The collapse of the previous Afghan government in August 2021 has created a power vacuum. The Afghan embassies abroad no longer represent the country. It is not the first time that a complex issue has arisen. Smadiyarov noted that history has seen many instances of states changing their leadership, which raises questions about the legitimacy of new leaders.
He said that missions representing the Taliban are already operating in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan as well as Russia, China, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan.
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