Senior officials from Afghanistan and Turkey, meeting on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, have stressed the need to expand economic cooperation and boost trade volume between the two countries.
Kabul 24: Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, held talks with Professor Dr. Omar Bolat, Turkey’s Minister of Commerce. The two sides discussed Afghanistan’s significant potential in agriculture, mining, industry, and other sectors, as well as opportunities to attract Turkish investment.
Minister Azizi highlighted the country’s rich natural resources and strategic location, noting that Afghanistan could serve as an attractive destination for Turkish companies. He particularly emphasized sectors such as farming, mineral extraction, and manufacturing as promising areas for bilateral collaboration.
In response, the Turkish side welcomed Afghanistan’s potential and extended an official invitation for Afghan business delegations and industrialists to participate actively in all major trade exhibitions organized in Turkey.
This move is expected to foster closer ties between traders from both nations, facilitate new contracts, and help increase exports and imports.
Minister Azizi, for his part, invited Turkish firms to invest directly in Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical sector, specifically in the local production of medicines.
He pointed out that Afghanistan’s growing domestic demand and favorable geographic position could make it a suitable base for producing and exporting drugs to regional markets.
Several Afghan industrialists have also expressed positive views, stating that the country possesses considerable untapped capacity in agriculture and mining. With improved security and basic infrastructure, they believe Afghanistan offers a favorable environment for Turkish companies to invest.
Economic experts, however, stress that the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce must adopt a more systematic approach in such international forums.
This includes developing well-prepared investment packages, offering attractive incentives, organizing targeted business-to-business meetings, and effectively showcasing Afghanistan’s opportunities to foreign investors.
Continuous follow-up on agreements is also essential to translate discussions into concrete outcomes.Strengthening economic ties with Turkey represents an important opportunity for Afghanistan to diversify its trade partners, access modern technology and management practices, create jobs, and promote sustainable economic growth.
In recent years, the two countries have enhanced their political and diplomatic relations, and these latest engagements suggest a shift toward deeper and more practical economic cooperation.
