India, Afghanistan To Appoint Commercial Attachés To Boost Trade
The decision was taken during a bilateral meeting between Afghanistan’s industry minister Azizi and its Indian counterpart Jitin Prasad, who is the minister of state for commerce and industry here
New Delhi: India and Afghanistan have jointly decided to appoint dedicated commercial attachés in each other's capitals to revitalise bilateral trade currently valued at over $1 billion. Besides, Afghanistan trade minister Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi on Friday also invited Indian businesses to invest in the landlocked nation, promising a conducive environment to foster bilateral trade and boost economic cooperation between the two countries.
The decision was taken during a bilateral meeting between Afghanistan’s industry minister Azizi and its Indian counterpart Jitin Prasad, who is the minister of state for commerce and industry here. However, Azizi who arrived in New Delhi on a five-day visit to the country along with a high-powered delegation, also outlined mining, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, information technology, energy and textiles as areas where significant opportunities exist for business engagement.
“I would like to invite Indian industrialists and traders to see the potential of Afghanistan and the current enabling environment that we have already created for them and for other traders. So, it would be a very good opportunity in terms of exploring it in the mining industry, the agriculture sector, health, and IT. So, there is a huge opportunity available in Afghanistan, and I would like to kindly invite you to come and visit them,” the Afghan minister said.
India and Afghanistan have also agreed to various measures to boost bilateral trade, currently valued at around $1 billion. These include deputing a commercial attache in each other's embassy to oversee and support bilateral trade cooperation, reactivating the joint working group on trade, commerce and investment, among other measures.
“ My nation is offering several new incentives, including a 1 per cent tariff on raw materials and machinery, free land allocations, reliable power supply, and proposed five-year tax exemptions for new industries -- particularly those established by returning Afghan refugees,” the minister said, encouraging a greater engagement from the Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities and reaffirmed Afghanistan's commitment to ensuring a peaceful, inclusive, and business-friendly environment for all partners.
Meanwhile, the Indian government said that air cargo services between India and Afghanistan will commence very soon. “I am pleased to announce that the air freight corridor on the Kabul-Delhi sector and Kabul-Amritsar routes have been activated and cargo flights on these sectors will commence very soon,” Anand Prakash, joint secretary in the ministry of external affairs, said, while speaking in the presence of the Afghanistan commerce and industry minister here.
