KABUL, Afghanistan — A joint Afghanistan-Kazakhstan business forum opened in Kabul on Tuesday, bringing together senior Taliban officials and Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister to promote closer economic ties between the two countries.
Speaking at the forum, Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin of Kazakhstan said his country supports “an independent and prosperous Afghanistan” and emphasized that relations, particularly in trade and economic cooperation, are steadily strengthening.
Zhumangarin added that Kazakhstan is ready to collaborate with Afghanistan in key sectors including railways, transportation, logistics, agriculture, technology, mining, and healthcare.
At the event, Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban’s acting minister of industry and commerce, announced that bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan had increased by 32 percent over the past year. He said the Taliban administration is committed to expanding the trade volume to $3 billion annually.
The forum followed Zhumangarin’s arrival in Kabul on Monday. During his visit, he also met with senior Taliban officials, including Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, and Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister.
The meetings reflect Kazakhstan’s growing engagement with Afghanistan amid regional efforts to boost economic connectivity despite ongoing international concerns about Taliban rule.
