KABUL: Afghanistan and Belarus have agreed to expand joint investment and economic cooperation during the second meeting of their Joint Commission on Economic and Trade Cooperation in Minsk.
The meeting was co-chaired by Afghanistan’s Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mawlavi Attaullah Omari, and Belarusian Minister of Agriculture and Food Yuri Gorlov.
According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, the two sides discussed expanding trade and investment cooperation in agriculture and livestock, production and import of industrial machinery, agricultural machinery assembly, fertilizer production, dairy and food processing, and technology transfer.
The sides also discussed opportunities for Belarusian companies to undertake joint investments in Afghanistan, establish factories and joint projects, and invest in the extraction and processing of Afghan minerals as well as oil extraction and refining.
The meeting also focused on facilitating access for Afghan products to Belarusian markets, increasing exports and creating a more balanced trade relationship between the two countries.
In agriculture and livestock, the two sides proposed cooperation in livestock breeding, dairy processing, fertilizer and veterinary medicine production, vaccine manufacturing, technical training and the production of Belarusian medicines in Afghanistan.
The two countries also agreed to establish a joint working group led by deputy ministers to follow up on and implement the agreements reached at the meeting. The group will work to facilitate the implementation of joint projects, investments and other agreed areas of cooperation.
The Afghanistan-Belarus Joint Commission on Economic and Trade Cooperation meets annually and serves as a framework for coordinating joint projects and investments aimed at expanding economic ties between the two countries.