Minister of Industry and Trade Visits Iran; Spokesperson’s Account of New Agreements and Opening of Temporary Milk Road

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) – Kabul: Following the decision of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to sever trade and transit relations with Pakistan, Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Trade, traveled to Iran.

 

Iran’s Mehr News Agency also reported that Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Trade, headed a delegation of Afghan economic officials, entered the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran through the Milk border terminal.

 

Abdul Salam Javad Akhundzada, spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Trade, told Ava that Mr. Azizi visited Chabahar Port during his one-day visit and participated in a joint economic meeting between Iran and Afghanistan in Helmand.

 

Akhundzada added that Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Islamic Emirate, led a high-level delegation at the Milk border and met with the Governor of Sistan and Baluchestan of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Bijar. The meeting aimed to strengthen economic relations, develop bilateral trade, and increase transit capacities between the two countries.

 

According to him, in this meeting, the two sides reviewed the current status of trade and transit at the Milk-Abrisham border and emphasized the need to remove existing obstacles and promote operational cooperation. The Afghan Minister of Industry and Trade considered the strategic role of the Milk border in connecting Afghanistan to regional markets important and emphasized creating more facilities for traders and commercial vehicles.

 

Akhundzada stated: The main areas of discussion in this meeting included strengthening customs relations and inter-provincial cooperation between the Nimroz province of Afghanistan and the Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran with the aim of accelerating the clearance process and reducing the time spent by vehicles; attracting and absorbing joint investments in the industrial, commercial, and transit sectors, especially in joint border projects; developing and upgrading port and border infrastructure to increase the capacity for accepting and exiting goods and creating new transit routes; increasing the traffic of commercial vehicles between the two countries to more than 1,000 vehicles per day through the Milk border route in order to strengthen the flow of goods and reduce congestion; and adopting solutions to administrative and technical obstacles that have slowed down the speed of trade and transit.

 

Akhundzada also said that at the end of this meeting, the parties emphasized continuing joint meetings, establishing technical teams to follow up on agreed issues, and working together for the sustainable development of trade and transit. Both sides also expressed their determination to expand economic cooperation based on mutual interests and facilitate trade and commerce.

 

During this meeting, a short and temporary land route for the movement of commercial vehicles between the two sides was also inaugurated, and they assessed it as an important step towards strengthening economic relations between Afghanistan and Iran and creating more convenience for traders and investors of the two countries.