Ariana Afghan Airlines officials have announced that the company will operate two flights to the Chinese city of Urumqi every week from now.

“Ariana Afghan Airlines serves the people of Afghanistan in the sector in which it operates. Its responsibility is to control prices, and make as much profit as possible so that the company does not face problems,” Abdul Wali Seddiqi, head of Ariana Afghan Airlines, said at a ceremony to mark the occasion.

Ahmad Jan Bilal, head of state-owned companies, also noted that the increase in flights to China will help bilateral trade and people’s movement.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Naeem, deputy foreign minister for financial administrative affairs, emphasized that expanding economic, commercial and social relations between countries will have a positive impact on political relations.

“The more economic and trade relations expand, the stronger the relations between the two countries will be, and with that, political and other related issues will also be resolved,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chinese ambassador to Kabul, Zhao Xing, emphasized that his country is seeking to further enhance the level of relations with Afghanistan in various fields.

Direct flights between Kabul and Urumqi resumed in May 2023 after three years.

Visiting Kabul, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin said on Monday that Astana is ready to invest $500 million in the construction of the Torghandi-Herat railway line in adding that a logistics and transport company would be established in Herat province to advance the project.

According to a press release from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, the only thing Kazakh delegation also announced readiness to launch an internet cable project that would provide Afghanistan with affordable internet access.

Zhumangarin said that Kazakh investors are ready to invest in various sectors, especially in Afghanistan’s mines, oil and gas, and their technical teams are visiting Kabul in this regard.

During the meeting, the Kazakh side expressed its readiness to issue visas to Afghan businessmen, start flights between the two countries, cooperate on banking, enhance bilateral trade, and cooperate in the health and education sectors.

Meanwhile, Mullah Baradar stressed that Afghanistan has a firm will to strengthen economic and trade relations with Kazakhstan and other countries in the region and for this purpose, it has recently signed a draft roadmap to increase the volume of trade between Kabul and Astana to $3 billion.

According to the Deputy Economic Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, with the implementation of this roadmap, there will be significant positive changes in various economic sectors such as trade, agriculture, mining, transport, transit, railway and industry and investments in these areas will increase.

Mullah Baradar said that the Islamic Emirate is ready to share investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s mines with Kazakhstan and sign agreements in the field of preservation and quarantine of agricultural and livestock products. The Deputy Prime Minister also stressed the need to expand banking relations between the two countries and joint cooperation in the development and exploration of Afghanistan’s oil fields.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Zhao Xing, China’s ambassador to Kabul, extended an invitation to the Islamic Emirate to participate in this year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

The invitation was extended during a meeting with Mohammad Naeem, the Deputy Minister for Finance and Administration of the Afghan Foreign Ministry.

In a statement released on Sunday, the ministry noted China’s interest in “expanding bilateral cooperation.”

The statement quoted Zhao as saying that China, as Afghanistan’s close neighbor, places “great importance on strengthening its relationship” with Afghanistan and is ready to take further steps toward developing ties between the two countries.

During the meeting, Naeem emphasized the importance of neighborly relations, saying:

“Afghanistan and China are neighboring countries, and maintaining positive relations between neighbors is essential for both sides.”

The Islamic Emirate was not invited to the SCO summit held in Islamabad on October 15–16, 2024.

Reports indicate that Afghanistan’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been inactive since September 2021. Afghanistan became an observer member of the SCO on June 7, 2012, but has not actively participated in the organization’s activities since joining.

The 25th SCO Summit is scheduled to be held in China in the second half of this year.

The summit will offer a platform for discussions on key issues including food security, energy, the environment, and the fight against terrorism.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which represents 25% of global GDP and 40% of the world’s population, plays a key role in fostering economic, trade, and security cooperation among its member states.

In addition to the leaders’ summit, more than 40 related meetings of SCO mechanisms are expected to take place in China throughout the year.