Taliban officials and Kyrgyz government and business representatives met in Bishkek on Saturday for an Afghan-Kyrgyz business forum focused on expanding trade, investment and transit cooperation between the two countries.
The Afghan embassy in Bishkek, which is administered by the Taliban, said the forum brought together representatives of government agencies, chambers of commerce and private-sector businesses from both Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.
According to a statement posted by the embassy on X, discussions centered on boosting bilateral trade, encouraging investment and strengthening economic and transit cooperation.
Abdul Shakoor Haqqani, the Taliban’s chargé d’affaires in Bishkek, said the two sides remained committed to expanding commercial ties and supporting joint economic initiatives.
Kyrgyz authorities have not publicly commented on the meeting.
The forum comes as the Taliban have intensified efforts to strengthen economic relations with Central Asian countries, hosting and participating in a series of trade and investment meetings with regional partners over the past two years.
The shift has gained urgency as Pakistan has kept key border crossings largely closed to commercial traffic following escalating tensions with the Taliban since late last year, disrupting one of Afghanistan’s main trade routes.
At the same time, regional instability—including recent hostilities involving Iran, Israel and the United States—has complicated trade and logistics across the region, slowing the movement of goods and affecting imports of food, fuel and industrial raw materials into Afghanistan.
Against that backdrop, the Taliban have increasingly looked to Central Asia as an alternative gateway for trade and regional economic integration.
