Attracting investment and increasing the capacity of transportation through the railway line between Afghanistan and Iran is developing
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Kabul: Economic and political relations between Iran and Afghanistan have been developing increasingly for nearly four years. Recently, a delegation from the Ministry of Public Works traveled to the Islamic Republic of Iran and discussed and evaluated the issues of rail transportation between the two countries. This visit was made in order to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of rail transport and trade between Afghanistan and Iran. The aim of these negotiations was to increase transfers, facilitate economic affairs and expand infrastructure, and officials from the two countries emphasized the importance of developing rail networks and creating joint corridors.
Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works, said in an interview with Ava that Maulvi Mohammad Ishaq Sahibzada, Deputy Minister of Railways of the Islamic Emirate, traveled to Iran at the head of a technical delegation to expand rail transfers.
According to Haqshenas, during this visit, the Deputy Minister of Afghan Railways met and discussed separately with officials of active companies and the Iranian Railways Administration. In these meetings, detailed discussions were held on increasing transfers through the third section of the Khaf-Herat railway line, improving the capacity of technical staff, standardizing the Afghan railway, creating and connecting new routes, especially the strong regional rail corridor of Afghanistan, Iran and China, as well as strengthening bilateral cooperation. It was decided that a tripartite meeting on the corridor of the three countries would also be held in the future.
He added: During this visit, the Afghan delegation held separate meetings with the Iranian Special Representative for Afghanistan, transport infrastructure construction and development companies, and railway companies active in the Iranian railway sector, discussing in general reducing transit costs and connecting routes. Attracting new investments and establishing a railway in Afghanistan, as well as connecting regional corridors, developing railways, and attracting regional cooperation were mainly the focus of these meetings.
Haqshenas added: During the official visit of the Afghan delegation to the Islamic Republic of Iran, meetings were also held with the governor of Mashhad and a number of Iranian and Afghan businessmen, and transit and trade issues were discussed in the Chamber of Transport.
According to Haqshenas, in this meeting, the importance of attracting investment and increasing transport capacity was discussed, and the Deputy Minister of Railways of the Ministry of Public Works emphasized his commitment to supporting businessmen from the two countries and facilitating trade activities.
Increasing rail transport strengthens political, economic and regional relations
This is while international relations experts and experts also consider trade and transit relations between Afghanistan and Iran to be vital, fruitful and important in the region.
Dr. Soleiman Hosseini, a university professor, said in an interview with Ava that trade and transit relations between Afghanistan and Iran are of particular importance, especially in the field of rail transport. After the return of the head of the Ministry of Public Works' railway from his trip to Iran and negotiations with officials from the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and the National Iranian Railways Company, it seems that these relations have entered a new and strengthened stage.
He pointed out some of the main points and consequences of this trip and said: Developing transit relations: Iran is of great importance as a strategic route for the transit of goods to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. Transit and rail transport relations between the two countries can have a significant impact on strengthening trade between Afghanistan and the countries of the region. Developing rail networks in both countries can reduce transportation costs and increase the speed of movement of goods.
Also, according to Hosseini, Iran plays a key role for Afghanistan and the countries of Central Asia due to its geographical location as a bridge between the East and the West, as well as between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. New negotiations in this regard can expand the capacities of transportation via railways and turn Afghanistan into one of the important trade axes in the region.
The university professor also pointed out the economic consequences of these relations and said: Strengthening transit and trade relations between the two countries can have great positive effects on the Afghan economy. On the one hand, Afghanistan can act as a transit corridor for Iranian imported and exported goods, and on the other hand, Iran can gain more economic benefits by facilitating access to Central Asian markets. This cooperation can also lead to increased employment and infrastructure development in Afghanistan.
According to Hosseini, from a political perspective, strengthening economic and transit relations can create greater convergence between the two countries and strengthen Afghanistan’s relations with Iran. This type of cooperation can also strengthen stability in the region, because a reliable and effective transportation network can reduce tensions and promote regional cooperation.
Hosseini added: From a regional perspective, transit and trade cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan can affect Central Asian countries and even Pakistan. Facilitating access to global markets through Iranian ports can have positive effects on the region’s economic growth. This can also help strengthen regional relations and create new economic networks.
Finally, cooperation between the two countries in the field of transit and rail transport can serve as a joint project towards sustainable economic and political development in the region, especially in a situation where the two countries seek to strengthen economic and political relations in the face of global threats and challenges.
Three trains a week; Deficiencies of the Khaf-Herat railway line and problems of the consortium have been resolved
It is worth mentioning that previously, Jabar Ali Zakeri, the new CEO of the National Iranian Railways Company, in a meeting with Mohammad Eshaq Sahibzada, Deputy Minister of Public Utilities and Head of the National Railways Administration and the accompanying delegation, referred to the determination of the Iranian Railways to help the Afghan Railways and stated: The existence of the railway line in the northwest of Afghanistan and its proximity to the common border with Iran is a very good opportunity for transit between the two countries.
According to him, many of the problems that the Iran-Afghanistan railway consortium faced have now been resolved and currently three trains a week are running on the designated route.
Sahibzada also expressed hope in this meeting that the output of the Khaf-Herat project symbolizes the friendship between the two countries and expressed hope that with joint cooperation, we will witness an increase in the level of transfers and transit cargo transportation and, as a result, the growth and promotion of trade between the two countries.
He stated that based on the studies conducted, there is a good cargo capacity on the China-Afghanistan-Iran route, and emphasized: Afghanistan is fully prepared to take the necessary steps on this route together with Iran.
The Deputy Minister of Public Utilities also announced the completion of engineering studies for the construction of the Zaranj-Kandahar railway line, and that by connecting this railway line to Zabul in Iran, a new chapter of cooperation and trade exchanges between the two countries will open.
This is while Iran is scheduled to train another number of Afghan railway employees for the third round.
Mahmoud Sayadat, the head of the Iran-Afghanistan Joint Chamber, also stated that the Afghan government is completing the railway route from Roznak station to Herat city at a very good and excellent speed, and is very serious about completing this project. He added that at the beginning of the Khaf-Herat railway operation, due to security problems and the change of the Afghan government, the speed of work was slow and the exploitation of the opened route was not as desired, but with the serious will that existed between the two countries to develop their interactions, the damaged route was reconstructed and the problems that Iran had in defining the role of the consortium and its relationship with the railway were resolved. However, Mustafa Rezaei, the CEO of the Afghanistan Railway Development Consortium, also stated at the meeting "Opportunities and Challenges of Developing Iran-Afghanistan Railway Transport" held at the Khorasan Razavi Chamber of Commerce, that; Three freight trains have been running on the Khaf-Herat railway route every week for the past month, and goods have been loaded and unloaded, he added: "In the 14th government and since the arrival of the new CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, the activation of the Khaf-Herat railway route has been prioritized, and all its shortcomings have been largely resolved."
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