PHDCCI CEO & Secretary General Ranjeet Mehta, Afghanistan Minister of Commerce and Industry Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi and Ministry of External Affairs M Anand Prakash during an interactive session with the delegation from Afghanistan, in New Delhi on Friday (ANI photo)
NEW DELHI: Air freight operations between India and Afghanistan are set to resume soon, a senior Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official announced on Friday during Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Al-Haj Nooruddin Azizi’s visit to India.“I am pleased to announce that the air freight corridor on the Kabul-Delhi sector and Kabul-Amritsar routes have been activated and cargo flights on these sectors will commence very soon,” said Anand Prakash, Joint Secretary in the MEA, as quoted by PTI.“This will significantly enhance their connectivity and further strengthen our trade and commercial ties,” he added.Azizi is on a five-day visit to India aimed at strengthening trade ties, with a particular focus on agricultural exports, as Afghanistan seeks to expand economic partnerships amid strained relations with Pakistan. His meetings in New Delhi are expected to focus on increasing trade volumes, expanding market access for Afghan produce, and boosting Indian exports of pharmaceuticals, machinery and textiles.The two countries have also agreed to assign trade attachés to their respective embassies to oversee and facilitate bilateral commerce, the official said. In addition, the joint working group on trade, commerce and investment has been reactivated. “Bilateral trade stands at around 1 billion. However, there remains significant scope for further growth. In this context, we have decided to reactivate the joint working group on trade, commerce and investment. The active involvement of Indian and Afghan businesses will be essential to make this particular joint working group the process more effective,” Prakash stated.The remarks were made during an interactive session with the visiting Afghan delegation, headed by Minister Azizi, organised by industry body PHDCCI.
