 "Taliban's Commerce Minister Al-Haj Nooruddin Azizi with the Minister of State for Commerce Jitin Prasada in New Delhi on Thursday. Image Courtesy: @JitinPrasada")
Taliban Commerce Minister Al-Haj Nooruddin Azizi on Thursday met India’s Minister of State for Commerce Jitin Prasada in New Delhi and urged India to scale up trade and establish cargo hubs in Afghanistan.
The move comes as the Taliban government seeks alternatives to Pakistan following repeated border clashes and closures.
During the meeting, Azizi also requested India’s assistance in setting up scheduled shipping services to transport Afghan goods through the Indian-operated Chabahar Port in Iran, the Afghan Commerce Ministry told Reuters.
India’s Prasada said on X that the talks reflected a shared commitment to strengthening bilateral trade.
Landlocked Afghanistan has increasingly redirected trade through Iran and Central Asia in recent months after armed clashes led to repeated closures of key crossings with Pakistan.
During the talks, Azizi discussed investment, joint ventures, and ways to expand opportunities for Afghan exporters, the Afghan Commerce Ministry added.
Azizi also proposed that India develop dry ports in Afghanistan’s southwestern Nimroz province, which borders Iran, and streamline cargo processing at Nhava Sheva, India’s largest container port near Mumbai.
Quick Reads
View AllAfghan officials told Reuters last week that shipments via Iran and Central Asia have been growing faster than through the Pakistan corridor, as repeated border closures disrupt the country’s main transit route.
Azizi additionally urged faster visa processing for Afghan traders and suggested collaboration with India in sectors including pharmaceuticals, cold storage, fruit processing, industrial parks, and SME centres, the ministry said.
With inputs from agencies