Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan plan to boost South Asian trade with a new logistics hub

Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan have agreed to establish a logistics hub in western Afghanistan, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports citing Turkmenistan.gov.

Following a meeting between representatives of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan in Kabul last week, the three countries plan to draw up a written agreement within two months on the formal plans for the hub and invest in the project after six months of negotiations.

The hub, situated in Herat province, is expected to connect North and South Asia, with a focus on facilitating Russia's petroleum exports to South Asian markets, particularly Pakistan.

“Reaching Pakistan through Afghanistan will be the best option," says commerce minister Nooruddin Azizi, adding that they were focused on Russia's petroleum exports and that Kazakhstan was also planning to export goods through Herat into South Asian markets.

While the initial capacity of the hub is set at one million tons of oil, its operational date remains unspecified.

Discussions with China also involve plans to develop trade routes between China, Afghanistan, and Iran, with Afghan officials undergoing training in China to support these efforts.