Afghanistan has extended an invitation to Russia and Kazakhstan to participate in the construction project of the Trans-Afghan railroad. Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Trade and Industry in Afghanistan's interim government formed by the Taliban (banned in Russia), conveyed the invitation during a Kazakh-Afghan business forum in Astana.
"We invite the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan to participate in this project. This railroad is not only for the benefit of Afghanistan but for all, and we are willing to collaborate with them by receiving their working groups to jointly consider and develop this project," Azizi stated.
To expedite the coordination and resolution of technical matters, Azizi proposed the establishment of an office in Kabul involving Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
In February 2021, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan signed a plan to construct the Termez-Mazar-e-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar Trans-Afghan Railway, with an estimated duration of five years and a budget of about $5 billion for the 600-kilometer project. This new transport corridor aims to connect the European Union, Russia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Southeast Asian countries.
However, progress on the project was hindered after the Taliban assumed power in August 2021 due to financial constraints.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS