Shymkent Hosts Major Kazakhstan-Afghanistan Trade Boost with 15 Agreements

The Kazakhstan-Afghanistan Business Forum has brought together business leaders and officials from both countries, resulting in 15 signed agreements worth a total of $303 million.

The forum, organized with support from the Kazakh government, highlighted growing trade and investment opportunities between the two nations, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

Welcoming participants, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation. Speeches were also delivered by Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi and Yerkin Tukumov, Special Representative of the President of Kazakhstan for Afghanistan.

A major highlight was the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the QazTrade Trade Policy Development Center and Shymkent Invest - Front Office. “Despite challenges, we are confident that the bilateral trade will continue developing. Our goal is to preserve the current volumes, and to expand the range of exported goods,” said QazTrade Director General Aitmukhammed Aldazharov.

According to QazTrade, commodity turnover between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan reached $545.2 million in 2024. In another key step to boost cooperation, QazTrade and Gazanfar Corporation signed an agreement to open a partner office in Mazar-i-Sharif, envisioned as a hub for trade expansion.

The forum also follows Kazakhstan’s recent delivery of over 272 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, underlining the strong partnership between the two countries.