Afghan, Kazakh officials discuss railway network’s expansion

KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghan and Kazakh officials have discussed various issues, including the expansion and standardisation of Afghanistan’s railway network.

Deputy Minister of Public Works Maulvi Mohammad Ishaq Sahibzada met Yerkin Valitkhanovich Tokumov, Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies at the Office of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mohammad Ashraf Haqshanas, spokesman for Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) wrote on his X handle.

Establishing a rail-link between Central Asia and South Asia via Afghanistan, expanding and standardising Afghanistan’s national railway infrastructure and enhancing the capacity and volume of commercial freight on Afghan railways came up for discussion.

The two sides also deliberated on increasing the transit of Kazakh goods through Afghanistan, strengthening bilateral cooperation in the railway sector, and building technical capacity of Afghan railway personnel.

The Kazakh delegation pledged that technical teams from Kazakhstan would soon engage with their Afghan counterparts to hold joint discussions and advance the implementation of the agreed initiatives.

kk/ma