Acting Minister of Industry and Trade in the interim government of the Taliban, Nuruddin Azizi, revealed this development in an interview with Reuters.
The agreements to establish this hub were reached during negotiations among Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, held in Kabul last week following six months of joint consultations. The parties aim to finalize a draft agreement within two months.
“In the province of Herat, with investments from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, a logistics hub will be established at the crossroads of trade routes within the North-South Asia corridor,” Azizi disclosed. He emphasized that this center, situated in western Afghanistan, could serve as a conduit for Russia to transport oil to Pakistan and other South Asian nations.
Azizi further projected that the initial annual volume of hydrocarbons passing through the Herat transport hub could potentially reach 1 million tons.
In addition to these developments, Azizi mentioned Afghanistan’s discussions with China regarding the establishment of a trade transport route between the two countries through the high-altitude Wakhan corridor. He highlighted the corridor’s potential utility in facilitating the delivery of Chinese goods to Iran via Afghan territory.
