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Afghanistan -Turkmenistan Tango
Afghanistan is in the process of limiting Pakistan's veto options on transportation of goods and looking at other routes being a landlocked country.
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani visited Turkmenistan on July 3 upon invitation by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Oguzkhan Palace complex in Turkmenistan hosted the high-level talks.
Various issues from security and counter-terrorism, economy and trade, energy, education and transportation infrastructure were discussed. Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI), Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP)electricity project, and Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) electricity transit project were discussed.
Transportation infrastructure cooperation is a way forward to make Afghanistan less dependent on Pakistan, who routinely closes checkpoints along the Durand line. President Ghani the next day told the visiting U.S. senate delegation that Afghanistan has diversified trade and transit links and is no longer dependent on Pakistan.
These are the main routes of transit to Afghanistan:
- Hairtan->Mazar e Sharif
- Mersin, Turkey-> Baku, Azerbaijan -> via ferry on Caspian Sea->Türkmenbaşy->Aqina->Sheberghan ->Mazar e Sharif
- Mersin, Turkey-> Baku, Azerbaijan -> via ferry on Caspian Sea->Türkmenbaşy-> Mary, Turkmenistan ->Torghundi->Herat-> Lashkargah ->Kandahar->Ghazni->Kabul
- Bandar Abbas ->Islam Qala->Herat-> Lashkargah ->Kandahar->Ghazni->Kabul
- Karachi->Quetta->Kandahar
- Karachi->Jalalabad->Kabul
Of these, the first route connects to China, the 2nd and 3rd to Europe, the 4th to Iran and the last two to Pakistan. As of now, the last two routes via Pakistan carry the most freight. When the Torkham gate was closed by Pakistan for an indefinite period following a skirmish between the respective armed forces, the other routes effectively neutralised any economic effect on Afghanistan.
Reconstruction and repairing of the Serhedabad (Azerbaijan)– Turghandi (Afghanistan) railroad and also expanding Aqina railroad were on the agenda of today’s meeting. The Asian transnational railway – Atamyrat-Ymamnzar-Akina was quoted as an example of the developing cooperation in the transport sphere between the two nations. In view of the transit and transportation potentials of the both countries, the presidents emphasized on Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey trade and transit corridor and Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Turkmenistan railway. The trade and transit corridor is also known as the Lapis Lazuli corridor and the nations are due to sign an agreement for transporting goods to European markets. Turkmenistan itself serves as the fourth largest export market for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has already diversified its trade and is no more heavily dependent on Pakistan. Trade volume between Pakistan and Afghanistan has declined from $3 billion a couple years ago to just $500 million in early 2017. That indicates a drop of more than an 80 percent in commerce between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
On the other hand, Afghan-Iran trade volume has increased 25 percent, from $1.5 billion to $2 billion, and now accounts for a quarter of Afghanistan’s total annual trade. The construction of railroad between Iran and Afghanistan and the Zaranj-Delaram Highway in Afghanistan are some factors behind the growth of Afghanistan - Iran trade. Trade with Europe and central Asia accounted for 24% of imports and exports stood at 11.6%.
Cooperation in oil & gas, chemical industry, textile, carpet weaving industry, farming and other sectors was discussed. An MoUs signed between the two nations is for cooperation In the carpet industry. It is worth noting that carpets are among the biggest exports from Afghanistan. Till now most carpets were produced to a pre-final stage and then exported to Pakistan or Iran. This was due to lack of resources like machinery for cutting and edging.
I spoke to the spokesperson of Afghan Chamber Of Commerce & Industries (ACCI) Siamuden Pasarly, who told me, “Till 2013-14, roughly around 80% of the carpets were exported to Pakistan, Iran & final processing done there. Now have our own factories. Industrial parks are under construction in PPP model. At present, 30% of the carpet go to Pakistan and Iran for final processing. We plan to absorb it and sell them under Afghan branding to the west.”
Implemented properly, the agreements at Turkmenistan would lead both to economic prosperity and reduced economic dependency on Pakistan for Afghanistan. It's still a long way for land-locked Afghanistan to be no longer dependent on Pakistan but it's a welcome start.
By Aveek Sen - Aveek Sen is an independent journalist working on cyber security and the geopolitics of India's neighbourhood, focusing on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Bangladesh. He tweets at @aveeksen
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* Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author, and it do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Ariana News.
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CSTO to start Tajikistan-Afghanistan border security plan this year
Imangali Tasmagambetov, the Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), has emphasized implementing the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border reinforcement plan, stating that the plan will begin this year.
Speaking at a meeting to review the CSTO’s activities in 2024 held in Moscow, Tasmagambetov added that the plan includes special measures designed to ensure the security of the southern part of the CSTO's area of responsibility.
In 2024, documents related to equipping CSTO forces with advanced military weapons and equipment were reviewed and signed, he stated.
Meanwhile, CSTO members have consistently expressed concerns about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, viewing it as a serious threat to their security.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly called these concerns baseless, asserting that Afghanistan will never allow its territory to be used against any country.
Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, stated: "The concerns expressed by the CSTO regarding the borders are unfounded. Afghanistan is fully secure, and there is a commitment that Afghan soil will never be used against any country. The Islamic Emirate remains committed to its pledges."
In 202, the draft plan for strengthening the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border was approved by the Permanent Council of the CSTO and presented to its member countries.
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Pakistan: IEA must prevent US weapons from reaching terrorists
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has once again expressed concern over the potential for terrorist groups to access weapons left behind by the United States in Afghanistan.
Speaking in a news conference, Pakistan's spokesperson for the foreign ministry Shafqat Ali Khan urged the leaders of the Islamic Emirate not to allow the weapons left by the US to fall into the hands of terrorists, as this would create serious security concerns for both Pakistan and the region.
"Regarding the issue of weapons left behind in Afghanistan, it should be noted that Afghan officials are responsible for ensuring that, under no circumstances, such weapons fall into the hands of terrorist groups. This is a significant concern for the countries of the region, and we continue to call for increased attention to this matter,” said Shafqat Ali Khan.
Currently, the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan do not appear to be very positive. However, some experts believe that a unified stance must be created between the countries in the region to combat terrorism.
Earlier, the Islamic Emirate has described such concerns as baseless and repeatedly stated that all US weapons and military equipment left behind are secured by the government, with no group or individual having access to them.
Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have always been tense since IEA’s takeover, particularly regarding the issue of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan claims that this group plans and carries out attacks from Afghan soil against Pakistan.
However, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly rejected Pakistan's accusations, calling them baseless.
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ICC arrest warrant request for IEA’s supreme leader has no legal basis: Foreign Ministry
The International Criminal Court prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants for Mawlawi Hebatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, has no “fair legal basis” and it is “politically motivated”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
On Thursday, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said he had applied for arrest warrants for the two IEA figures in Afghanistan, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls.
The Foreign Ministry, however, said in a statement on Friday that the charges brought by the prosecutor were baseless.
"Nationwide security in Afghanistan is ensured, people breathe a sigh of relief, private prisons, kidnappings, warlords’ islands of power, many other forms of discontent and inhuman acts have been eliminated," the statement said.
"It is regrettable that this institution (ICC) has turned a blind eye to the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by foreign forces and their domestic allies during the 20 years of occupation of Afghanistan," the statement said.
"This misconduct further undermines the weak credibility of the institution and makes its position at the international level completely meaningless," the statement said. “This institution should not try to impose a particular interpretation of human rights on the entire world and ignore the religious and national values of people in other parts of the world.”
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