Faisal Abdullah Al Rawas, Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, for talks on boosting trade relations between the two countries.

The meeting comes within the context of promoting relations between Oman and Afghanistan in the economic and trade sectors.

The two sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in the fields of trade, investment and economy, as well as developing ties in the logistics and tourism sectors.

They also touched on supporting joint projects that contribute to stimulating economic growth.

The two sides underlined the importance of exchanging experiences and knowledge in those fields.

During the meeting, Rawas and Muttaqi agreed to facilitate trade exchange between the two countries and utilise the available opportunities for mutual benefit.

Muttaqi traveled to Oman on Sunday. The foreign ministry announced that the trip was made at the invitation of the Omani Foreign Minister.

The value of Iran’s non-oil export to Afghanistan increased by 31 percent in the first ten months of the Persian calendar against the same period last year, Tehran officials confirmed.

The Tehran Times reported that Iran exported non-oil commodities valued at $1.9 billon to Afghanistan between March 20 last year and January 19 this year.

The spokesperson for the Trade Development Committee of the House of Industry, Mining, and Trade, Ruhollah Latifi, said Afghanistan was the fourth top export destination of Iranian products among Iran’s neighbors in the mentioned ten months.

In a meeting with an Iranian trade delegation in Kabul last August, Afghanistan’s interim Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund said that his country is eager to attract Iranian investors in order to develop the Afghan mining industry, generate solar electricity and expand railway connectivity.

The Iranian delegation also proposed to launch a joint special industrial zone with Afghanistan.

Noting that Afghanistan has turned into a good place for making investment, Baradar said that the relevant ministries and organizations will cooperate and work closely with investors.

The Iranian delegation, made up of economic and trade players, also held a separate meeting with Afghanistan’s acting minister of commerce Haji Nooruddin Azizi. They called for the formation of a joint economic-mining zone between the two neighboring countries.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) says it has signed memoranda of understanding worth over $12 million with 15 organizations to support and develop small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

During the signing ceremony, ministry officials emphasized that project implementation must prioritize support for individuals genuinely engaged in economic activities.

The ministry stated that 7,673 people in Kabul, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Balkh, Kandahar, Logar, Kunduz, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Badghis, Faryab, Jowzjan, Nangarhar, Takhar, and Bamyan provinces will benefit from these initiatives. 

The ministry’s spokesman Abdul Salam Jawad Akhundzada said, “These 15 organizations will execute developmental, skill-building, and educational projects valued at $12,475,406, focusing on entrepreneurship training, carpet industry development, jewelry, and handicrafts.”

Private sector representatives welcomed the move, stating that supporting SMEs will positively impact Afghanistan’s economic and developmental activities.

They added that consistent investment in the carpet industry could curb widespread unemployment and play a pivotal role in rural economic development. 

Private sector members further noted that small businesses fulfill essential livelihood needs for communities and will contribute to training professional and technical personnel, as well as fostering growth in large-scale industries.