Afghanistan-Saudi commerce soared by 100pc

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Afghanistan Embassy in Saudi Arabia says the volume of Afghanistan’s exports and other commercial activities with the gulf country have increased by 100 percent in 2020.

Riaz Sadat, Afghan trade attaché to Saudi Arabia in a Facebook post on Tuesday said that many commercial programs had been cancelled in Saudi Arabia following the Covid-19 pandemic over the last one and a half years.

Despite all restrictions due to the pandemic, Afghanistan’s business activities with Saudi Arabia increased by 100 percent in 2020, he said.

A statement from the Afghan embassy in Riyadh also said that Afghanistan’s commercial deals with the gulf country had increased by more than 100 percent in 2020 compared to 2019.

Afghanistan exported domestic goods worth $13.28 million to Saudi Arabia in 2019 compared to $28.56 million in 2020, the source said.

Most of the exports included saffron, dry fruit and carpet which exported through air corridor, the statement added, saying the country’s exports to Saudi Arabia would soar to $42.5 million in 2021.

This comes as Afghan foreign minister, Mohammad HanifAtmar on Monday talked with his Saudi counterpart, Shahzada Faisal Bin Farhal Al Saud about the ongoing crisis in Palestine, the Afghan peace process and bilateral ties.

Mds/ma

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