BAKU, Azerbaijan — The Taliban deputy chief minister, Abdul Ghani Baradar, has called on Azerbaijan to facilitate the export of Afghan goods through the Baku International Sea Port, as they seek to expand regional trade links amid its continued lack of global recognition.
Baradar made the request during a visit to Baku on Saturday, where he toured the port and met with Azerbaijani officials. He is leading the Taliban delegation at the 17th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), held in the city of Khankendi.
According to a statement released by the Taliban-run presidential office, Azerbaijani officials expressed readiness to support the transit of Afghan exports through Baku to Turkey and Europe, and to help facilitate trade with Russia via rail lines running through Iran.
Rovshan Rustamov, chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, met with Baradar to discuss expanding the geographic scope of freight transportation along the South Asia–Caucasus–Europe corridor. Rustamov said Afghanistan could be integrated into the Middle Corridor, a multimodal transit network that links Central Asia to European markets.
Both sides agreed to form joint technical committees to assess existing infrastructure and identify ways to improve trade and transit capacity between Afghanistan and Azerbaijan.
During his visit, Baradar also urged Azerbaijan to recognize the Taliban administration. To date, only Russia has granted formal recognition — a move widely criticized by human rights organizations and Western governments.
