Russia ready to invest in Afghanistan railways

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Russian government and private railway corporations are ready to invest and cooperate in expanding railway tracks in Afghanistan, a statement said on Sunday.

The statement from the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said that Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar had a meeting with the Russian deputy minister of industry and trade, Aleksandr Nikolaevich Morozov, and discussed with him economic and trade relations and cooperation among the two countries.

Atmar said that expansion of economic cooperation between the two countries would improve relations and play a vital role in regional coordination.

Atmar said Afghanistan wanted to frame and implement economic and trade projects with Russia.

The statement added that both sides agreed to form a third economic-trade commission between Afghanistan and Russia and both sides would work on economic cooperation plans.

The statement said both sides had detailed discussion on cooperation in railway sector and the Russian government and private sector were ready to invest and cooperate in expanding railway tracks in Afghanistan.

Hanif Atmar, referring to the railway projects of Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar, Torghundi-Herat and Imam Nazar-Aqina said that Russia would connect to central Asia and to South Asia through Afghanistan.

He said both sides agreed that a technical team from the Afghan railways would soon visit the Russian Federation for purchase of equipment, training staff and also to discussing cooperation.

Hr/ma

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