Afghanistan Ready to Expand Joint Investment With Iran

Afghanistan's southern Helmand province is signaling a strong desire to deepen economic ties with neighboring Iran, expressing readiness to expand joint investments and cooperation. Deputy Governor Mawlawi Rahimullah Mahmood made these remarks during a visit to Iran's South Khorasan province, emphasizing the mutual benefits of enhanced collaboration.

Mahmood specifically pointed to Afghanistan's agricultural sector as a key area for joint development. He aims to leverage Iran's experience in agricultural mechanization and production quality improvement. The goal is to make Afghan agricultural products more competitive in regional and international markets. He also noted Helmand's rich mineral resources, including stone deposits, but acknowledged the lack of technical infrastructure for standardized extraction and processing. Afghanistan seeks Iran's technical cooperation and knowledge transfer in this domain.

"Using Iran’s experience in building factories and processing units can create significant added value for Afghanistan’s mineral products and facilitate broader exports to global markets," Mahmood stated. He believes that improved infrastructure and customs facilities at the shared border could dramatically increase daily cargo truck traffic from the current 300-400 to between 800 and 1,000, significantly boosting bilateral trade.

Mojtaba Shariatifar, deputy coordinator for economic affairs in Iran's South Khorasan province, echoed these sentiments. He views South Khorasan and Helmand as having the potential to become a crucial hub for trade, investment, and economic cooperation between the two nations. By jointly harnessing their complementary strengths, both provinces could see a substantial rise in trade relations.

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Using Iran’s experience in building factories and processing units can create significant added value for Afghanistan’s mineral products and facilitate broader exports to global markets.