By Islamuddin Sajid
ISLAMABAD (AA) - Afghanistan on Saturday requested assistance from Azerbaijan in exporting goods to Türkiye and Europe via the Port of Baku, according to an official statement.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the interim Taliban administration's acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs, made the request during a visit to Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, according to a statement issued from his Kabul office.
"The visit was attended by representatives from the Baku International Sea Port and the national railway authorities, who affirmed that the port, situated along the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, is prepared to support the export of Afghanistan’s industrial products, agricultural commodities, and mineral resources to Türkiye and Europe," it said.
Baradar was in Azerbaijan to attend the 17th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in Khankendi, Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan officials also assured Baradar that they would help transport Afghan commercial goods to Russia by rail transit through Iranian territory.
During the visit, the two sides agreed to form joint technical committees to advance bilateral trade and transit cooperation while also increasing Afghanistan's export capacity.
The Baku port currently has an annual cargo handling capacity of 15 million tons, with expansion plans aimed at increasing this capacity to 25 million tons, according to the statement.