Afghanistan and Iran formed a “Joint Chamber of Commerce” to solve bilateral legal and trade issues.
Khan Jan Alokozai, a member of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) board, stated that he met with members of the Iranian board in Kabul and discussed the procedure for the establishment of this chamber.
“According to the current laws of the ACCI, we have to propose this to the Ministry of Commerce, and then we have to get the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally we will be allowed to build the chamber, then the chamber has its own statutes and procedures. We will try to create it by the end of this year,” said Khan Jan Alokozai, board member of ACCI.
According to Alokozai, all parties have agreed to form a joint chamber of commerce, and the formation of this chamber will solve the problem of the country’s businessmen.
Meanwhile, economic experts expect that the establishment of this chamber will result in more commerce and investment between the two countries.
“Creating this chamber will facilitate the Iranian side’s supply of goods to the markets of Afghanistan and Central Asian markets as a connection point, and it will have an advantage for the Iranian side,” said Shabir Bashiri, an economist.
However, Farah province officials say that for the first time the port of Shaikh Abu Nasr Farahi in the province has been turned into a commercial transit port, and the country’s traders are now allowed to export and import commodities to Iran through this port.
“Nasr Farahi port, which is located in the western part of the province bordering Iran, has not yet been officially opened for transit, but work is ongoing,” said Hekmatullah Sobhani Agha, head of Farah Transport Department.
“We have a large volume of trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The opening of the Afghanistan-Iran Joint Chamber will be a good step toward solving the problems of the private sector and increasing trade between the two countries,” said Younis Ghazizada, head of the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment.
Businessmen believe that establishing a joint Afghanistan-Iran Chamber of Commerce is crucial to enhance exports and imports between Kabul and Tehran.
Afghan private sector companies said they are suffering major financial losses due to the halt in major international airline flights to Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said.
“We used to export thousands of tons of dry fruit and herbal medicine, particularly to India, and earn millions of dollars of revenue through this but the current situation has severely affect everyone,” said Khanjan Alokozai, a member of the ACCI.
According to the ACCI, there have been no international flights carrying commodities within the past eight months.
The Islamic Emirate has been negotiating to hand over the operation of the five major airports to Qatari and Turkish companies, but the negotiations are not finalized.
However, the Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation said that the contract for the Afghanistan airports with the foreign companies is delayed due to national interest.—Tolonews
