On Tuesday March 2, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade Zavqi Zavqizoda met here with First Deputy Speaker of Walesi Jirga (Afghanistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Mohammad Mirza Katawazai, according to the press center of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT).
In the course of the talks, Tajik minister, in particular, noted that the trade potential of both countries is currently underused and there is considerable room for further expansion of the bilateral trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Zavqizoda outlined sectors like pharmaceutics, textile and food industries, as areas which could drive the bilateral trade between the two countries.
He, in particular, invited Afghan businesspeople to invest in launching joint ventures and international logistics center in the Panj Free Economic Zone (FEZ Panj) in Khatlon province.
The Afghan side reportedly expressed readiness for further expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Tajikistan.
According to data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan last year valued at more than 70.6 million U.S. dollars, which was nearly 30 percent fewer than in 2019. Tajikistan’s exports accounted for about 99 percent of a total volume of the bilateral trade between the two countries.
