Kazakhstan calls on CA neighbors to help Afghanistan develop together

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Kazakhstan suggested Central Asian countries joining forces to help Afghanistan prosper, Kazinform correspondent reports. 

While addressing the participants of the Regional Conference on Women's Empowerment in Afghanistan held in Astana, Foreign Affairs Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said Kazakhstan believes it is highly possible to integrate Afghanistan into the Central Asian economic space.

According to him, Central Asian countries should join efforts and prioritize Afghanistan's socioeconomic development, adopt an overarching development program and attract international business to specific economic projects. These steps, in his words, will allow to shape up Afghanistan's economic self-sufficiency and self-reliance and make maximum use of its transit potential.

Minister Abdrakhmanov added that as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council Kazakhstan prioritized Afghanistan's interests. Afghanistan's restoration, peace and stability are of paramount importance for the security of the entire Central Asia.

It was noted that Kazakhstan organized the visit of the UN Security Council members to Afghanistan in January 2018. President Nursultan Nazarbayev vowed 1,000 Afghan students will get free education in Kazakhstan and allotted $50 million to this end.