Taliban want Russia to take part in Trans-Afghan Railway Project

The Taliban government of Afghanistan has invited Russia and Kazakhstan to take part in a project to build a trans-Afghan railway that aims to link the European Union, Russia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Southeast Asian countries.

As reported by Tass, the Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industry in the interim government formed by the Taliban has informed the Russian newspaper of this proposal.

"We invite Russia and Kazakhstan to join this project. In my view, it’s not just about investing in Afghanistan because this railway will benefit everyone, and we are ready to receive working groups from these countries to consider this project together with them", Minister Nooruddin Azizi said on the sidelines of a Kazakh-Afghan business forum held in Astana.

According to the official, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan should set up an office in Kabul to make coordination easier and resolve technical issues as quickly as possible.

In February 2021, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan signed a plan to build a railway connecting Termez, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kabul and Peshawar.

The construction of the railroad, some 600 kilometers long, was expected to last five years and cost about $5 billion but came to a halt due to a lack of funds after the Taliban came to power in August 2021.