KABUL (Pajhwok): A high-level Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk will visit Afghanistan in the near future to discuss economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, a media report said on Saturday.
Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Zamir Kabulov, the Russian president’s special representative for Afghanistan, as saying that the delegation would visit Afghanistan soon to follow up on economic and trade cooperation.
Kabulov made the remarks at a conference on security issues in Central Asia and Afghanistan involving the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
He said the visit aimed to expand trade and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Russia.
Kabulov noted that trade between the two countries was growing, with its volume doubling in the first half of the current calendar year.
Although bilateral trade remained modest compared with trade between Russia and other countries, he said the increase was significant for Afghanistan as it pursued reconstruction and development.
He said trade between the two countries was growing steadily and gradually, adding that Russia would seek to maintain the same pace of growth.
Kabulov did not specify the date of the delegation’s visit to Afghanistan.
kk/sa
