Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, met on Friday with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, where both sides discussed political, economic, and trade issues between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, the Afghan deputy PM’s office said in a statement.At the meeting, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan announced that his country will soon begin the Torghandi-Herat railway line project in Afghanistan, with an investment valued at $500 million.Bektenov also expressed Kazakhstan’s interest in investing in Afghanistan’s mining sector and said that Kazakhstan is ready to increase imports of Afghan fruit and facilitate Afghanistan’s exports through Kazakh territory.He emphasized that Kazakhstan is one of the top ten countries with the highest trade relations with Afghanistan and they are committed to expanding these relations.Bektenov also stated that his country maintains good relations with Afghanistan, and to strengthen these ties, the Kazakh Foreign Minister will soon visit Kabul.During the meeting, Abdul Ghani Baradar described Kazakhstan as an important and reliable regional partner for Afghanistan and called the appointment of Kazakhstan’s special representative for Afghanistan a valuable step.Baradar expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan for supporting Afghanistan in international forums and said Afghanistan serves as an important transit route for Kazakhstan to the Middle East and South Asia.According to him, Kazakhstan can connect Afghanistan to Europe, and therefore, Kazakhstan should take advantage of existing opportunities in investment, trade, railway projects, and transit affairs.He also considered the signing of the agricultural products preservation and quarantine agreement between the two countries important for increasing bilateral trade volume to $3 billion.Baradar stressed facilitating visa issuance for Afghans and the opening of Afghan bank accounts in Kazakhstan’s Zaman and Freedom Banks.He assured that Afghan banks are fully prepared for these collaborations.Baradar noted that Afghanistan has initiated the establishment of an operational company for imports and exports via railways to expand bilateral trade and will soon introduce it to Kazakhstan.He added that a draft agreement on international transport and transit between the two countries has been prepared, serious discussions are underway regarding tariff reductions on transit goods, and cooperation agreements in industrial, trade, and transport sectors with Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan have been formulated, with Kazakhstan’s cooperation being significant in these areas.The post Kazakhstan pledges $500 million investment in Torghundi–Herat railway project first appeared on TINS News | Afghanistan News.