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Afghanistan ‘ready to be included’ in major regional projects
Afghanistan stakeholders have said that with improved security in the country since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) takeover, the country is now more than ready to be included in major regional projects, including China’s “One Belt One Road” initiative.
The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is part of the One Belt One Road or New Silk Road initiative, which includes a land trade route from China to Pakistan’s Gwadar port.
The project includes two highways, two railway lines and a major hydroelectricity dam on the Kunar River.
The idea is to lay a road linking Pakistan’s Peshawar to Kabul and also to Kunduz and then further into Central Asia. Railway lines are expected to run from Landi-Kotal in Pakistan to Afghanistan’s Jalalabad, and also from Pakistan’s Chaman to Spin Boldak in Afghanistan.
China’s economic growth in previous years has made the countries participating in the One Belt One Road initiative optimistic and perceive the project to be comparable to China’s development of Shenzhen city, which conceptualized in 1980, has since grown into a metropolis in less than 30 years with a population of ten million.
Now, analysts are hoping Afghanistan will become part of another key undertaking by China – the One Belt One Road initiative.
“If this project (One Belt One Road) was not done through Afghanistan, I don’t think that the project would be very successful; if Afghanistan was not included, if this road passes through other routes, naturally, Afghanistan will not be a connecting point, and people’s perception will be that Afghanistan is not a connecting point but a season point,” said Imam Mohammad Warimach, former deputy minister of transport for Afghanistan.
The One Belt One Road is expected to start from the city of Xi An, in China and cross many Asian countries to Europe and Africa.
Afghan experts believe that China has adopted a new economy-oriented policy on Afghanistan.
“The government of Afghanistan and the continuous security crisis in this country have not given us the opportunity to have a proper awareness of the One Belt One Road Initiative, but China, as a close neighbor of Afghanistan, is trying to bring this country into an international economic cycle,” said Nazir Kabiri, researcher at Biruni Institute, a research organization in Kabul.
The One Belt One Road initiative will reportedly cover 65 countries – home to about 60% of the world’s population – and the cost of which will be about $4 trillion across 900 different projects.
“China is the world champion in the infrastructure sector, strong infrastructure has been built in China, which has a very high capacity, many raw materials are not needed in China and this is a unique opportunity for the Chinese to export them,” said Sebastian Heilmann founding director of the Mercator Institute for China Studies.
Considering the economic problems that Afghanistan is facing, Afghan experts believe that the country should be included in China’s One Belt One Road initiative, as it will help accelerate the construction of infrastructure, gain geographical advantages, and turn Afghanistan into an economically developed country.
In addition, while Afghanistan contends with an economic crisis, no country has yet recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government. However, the IEA is trying to overcome problems by focusing on infrastructure and economic development projects as well as establishing strong ties with foreign countries, analysts have said.
Baradar meets with envoy
This comes after Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, met with China’s Ambassador to Kabul Wang Yu on Wednesday and called on Beijing to include Afghanistan in the “One Belt One Road” initiative.
According to a statement released by Baradar’s office, the focus of the meeting was on the implementation of key economic projects that have been agreed upon by the two countries.
Meanwhile, Wang stated that his country “wants to deepen its ties with Afghanistan and supports the new government in any situation.”
Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), recently visited the city of Maimana in northern Afghanistan, where she met with local officials, entrepreneurs, and UN staff.
UNAMA wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday, that during the visit, entrepreneurs — including women — met with Otunbayeva, and requested support to facilitate access to new markets, particularly in Uzbekistan.
UNAMA further stated that among these entrepreneurs was a group of women who, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had established a tailoring workshop.
They expressed their appreciation for the support received and spoke about the significant growth and development of their business.
UNAMA added that the organization remains committed to promoting economic opportunities and empowering Afghan communities, especially women.
Anand Prakash, head of the Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan Division of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, met with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul for talks on various issues.
According to a press release issued Sunday by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, bilateral political relations, trade, transit and recent political developments in the region were discussed in the meeting.
Muttaqi stressed the need for the expansion of diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries and explained that Afghanistan currently offers favorable opportunities for investment. He said Indian investors should take advantage of these opportunities.
He also said that facilities should be created for the movement of people between Afghanistan and India and the issuance of visas for medical purposes, students and businessmen should return to normal.
Meanwhile, Prakash said that relations with Afghanistan are important for India and he hopes that these relations will expand further in various fields.
He stressed that India will continue its cooperation with Afghanistan and wants to invest in some infrastructure projects and restart projects that were paused for some time.
The two sides also emphasized the expansion of relations, the exchange of delegations, visa facilitation and bilateral cooperation.
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has said in a phone call with his Uzbek counterpart that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway project.
During the call, the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as expanding political, economic and transit cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul said in a statement on Sunday.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov noted that Afghanistan’s exports to Uzbekistan have tripled in the first four months of 2025 compared to last year. He vowed to create more facilities in the field of trade and transit between the two countries, especially in issuing visas to Afghan citizens.
Meanwhile, Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of major economic projects such as the Trans-Afghan railway project and for the strengthening of political, trade and transit cooperation with Uzbekistan. He said that the existing opportunities should be utilized for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
The two sides also discussed the holding of a trilateral meeting between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan at the level of foreign ministers and agreed to coordinate through diplomatic channels to determine the exact date and place of the meeting.
The three neighboring countries signed an agreement in February 2021 to construct a 573-kilometer railway line through Afghanistan, connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistan seaports, with an estimated cost of $4.8 billion to enhance regional economic connectivity.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Uzbek foreign minister last Thursday to discuss the Trans-Afghan railway project.
Dar expressed hope that the three countries would soon sign a framework agreement on this important regional project.
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