President Ashraf Ghani met with Alice Wells, the US’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs on Sunday at the Presidential Palace and discussed US sanctions on Iran and its effects on Chabahar port, the Presidential Palace said in a statement.
Concerns over how sanctions will affect Afghanistan’s interests have been raised after US re-imposed sanctions on Iran.
The President’s office said Ghani and Wells had good discussions regarding these issues.
The statement said that the results of the discussion will be shared later with the people.
This come after Afghan businessmen called on the United States to exclude Afghans from its sanctions on Iran.
According to presidential palace (ARG), outcomes of the discussions will send a good message out about Afghanistan’s economy and the region.
The result of discussion between president Ghani and the US deputy Assistant Secretary will be officially announced in the near future, said Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri.
“At yesterday evening’s meeting with Ms. Allice Wells, discussions were held about the impact of US sanctions on Chabahar Port, and the outcome of the meeting will be shared with the people of Afghanistan and this will send good news to the country – for the economy and the region,” said Chakhansuri.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) has called on the US to exclude Afghanistan from the US sanctions on Iran.
“Over 1,000 containers from foreign countries for Afghanistan come through Iran’s Bandar-e-Abbas port, this means sanctions on Iran will also have implications for Afghanistan,” said ACCI deputy chief Mohammad Younus Mohmand.
“These sanctions will also impact the banking transactions between Iran and Afghanistan and this would have direct consequences on Afghanistan’s trade ties,” said Hasseb Rahimi, CEO of ACCI.
Trade volume between Afghanistan and Iran is estimated to be $1.2 billion per annum.
After Pakistan, most of Iran’s trade and commercial transactions are conducted with Afghanistan.
According to ACCI, Afghanistan’s exports to Iran over the first four months of the year was around $4 million.
Meanwhile, the US embassy in Kabul said in a press release on Monday night that during her trip to Kabul Wells underscored that the US and other donors remain ready to assist the elections commissions in their effort to hold a transparent, credible, and timely presidential election that ensures Afghan citizens can safely cast their votes.
“ Throughout the visit, she underscored that the U.S. and other donors remain prepared to assist the elections commissions in their effort to hold a transparent, credible, and timely Presidential election that ensure Afghan citizens can safely cast their votes. Her discussions also focused on preparations for the upcoming Geneva Ministerial Conference. She emphasized the U.S. commitment to support Afghanistan depends in part on continued progress to improve transparency and accountability of government, including by fighting corruption,” reads the statement.
According to the statement, during her visit, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Wells met with President Ghani, Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Acting Foreign Minister Edris Zaman, Acting Finance Minister Mohammad Humayon Qayoumi, National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib, members of the Independent Election Commission, and other Afghan leaders and civil society members.
Ambassador Wells also met with international partners to discuss ongoing U.S. and international community support for efforts to promote long-term peace, security, and stability in Afghanistan and the region.