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Afghanistan accuses Uzbekistan of violating Hairatan port deal

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Officials of the Afghanistan Railway Authority (ARA) accuse Uzbekistan Railways of violating the new agreement regarding the technical affairs of the rail link between Hairatan and Mazar-e-Sharif.

ARA’s head Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharaft, in an interview with Ariana News, said that Uzbekistan Railways had agreed that 16 Uzbeks be employed for the management of the rail link, but now it is insisting on employing 65 people.

He said that based on the agreement, Uzbekistan should have handed over the technical affairs to a Kazakh company on February 1, however,, Uzbekistan Railways suspended international freight shipment via Hairatan port.

“The only problem is that we had agreed on 16 technical employees, but they have sent a one-sided contract that mentions 65 employees instead of 16 employees, and the salary of each one is 6,000 dollars. This is a huge amount of money and we cannot afford it,” Sharafat said.

The official emphasized that efforts are underway to solve the problem, and a delegation from Afghanistan is ready to travel to Uzbekistan for this purpose.

He also said that efforts are ongoing for the implementation of trans-Afghan railwy project. Although the implementation of this project by foreign engineers is estimated at around 4.8 billion dollars, but the head of the railway administration emphasizes that the project can be implemented at a cost of 2.8 billion dollars.

“We can do anything,” he said. “There is will, there is transparency, there is commitment of leadership.”

Recently, the Afghanistan Railway Administration signed a two-year contract with Kazakhstan on the Haritaan port, according to which Kazakh employees will carry out technical work in this port.

The Hiraitan Railway stretches 75 km from Hiraitan Port to the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, through which commercial goods from China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are transported to Afghanistan.

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Afghan businessman to invest up to $12 million in iron ore extraction in Panjshir

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An unnamed Afghan businessman is reportedly ready to invest up to $12 million in iron ore mining in Panjshir province, the provincial governor’s spokesman Saifuddin Laton said Sunday.

According to Laton, the businessman has shown interest in investing between $3 and $12 million to mine an area covering 22 square kilometers in Paryan district in Panjshir.

Laton said the contract for this project has been approved by the Economic Directorate of the Prime Minister’s Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

In addition to extraction, the businessman will also carry out the processing and packaging of the iron ore within the province to create greater added value.

Laton said that in the first phase, the company will launch an exploratory program of the reserves over six months, during which around 500 jobs will be created.

After completing this phase, formal extraction work will begin, he said.

Afghanistan possesses substantial iron ore reserves, estimated at 2.2 billion tonnes, making it a top 10 country for extractable iron.

The largest deposit, Hajigak, is located in Bamiyan province, and contains an estimated 1.7 billion tonnes of high-grade ore.

 

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Afghan deputy agriculture minister leaves for Iran’s international expo

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Sadri Azam Osmani, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, on Saturday left Kabul to participate in the 7th International Exhibition of Iran’s Export Capabilities in Tehran.

The expo will be held from April 28 to May 2. According to the organizers, between 2,000 and 3,000 foreign traders from around the world are expected to attend. 

Osmani expressed hope that this trip will pave the way for the growth of trade and attract more investments to Afghanistan.

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Pakistan’s deputy PM discusses Trans-Afghan Railway Line project with Uzbek FM

On Thursday, in a post on X, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Dar hoped that the three countries would soon sign the framework agreement for this important regional connectivity project.

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Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich, on Thursday to discuss the Trans-Afghan Railway Line Project.

This comes after Dar’s recent visit to Kabul, where he held talks with officials on the planned Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway Line Project.

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.

On Thursday, in a post on X, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Dar hoped that the three countries would soon sign the framework agreement for this important regional connectivity project.

The two leaders also discussed strengthening bilateral relations, enhancing economic and trade connectivity, promoting people-to-people ties, and exchanged views on current regional and international issues.

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