Officials from Afghanistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) on Monday said that Turkmenistan has reduced tariffs for import and exports between the two countries.  

According to ACCI, the move by Turkmenistan will boost Afghanistan’s exports and the process of imports from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan.

Based on a press release issued by the Presidential Palace, to develop trade and economic relations, Turkmenistan has decided to ease the process of cross-border trade between the two nations.

ACCI says that Turkmenistan has also committed to helping ensure the security of goods, the maintenance of the railway line and railway wagons, and loading services. Turkmenistan also committed to providing these services to Afghan traders not only in Turkmenistan, but also at Aqina land port. 

The tariffs have been reduced by “approximately 50 percent and in some cases they have reduced the expenses more than 50 percent. For instance, whenever we could not manage to unload our wagons within 24 hours, we had to pay $300 USD for that, but now this tariff has been removed completely,” said ACCI deputy chief Khan Jan Alokozai.

“At the high economic council meeting, the railway authorities were directed to enter into dialogue with Turkmenistan about the topic. They will report back to the high economic council after the completion of their technical assessments; a decision will be taken on that in line with the national interest,” said Ajmal Hamid Abdul Rahimzai, spokesman for the ministry of finance.

Based on ACCI statistics, the volume of exports from Afghanistan to Turkmenistan is not significant, but presently, Turkmenistan is a key corridor for the transit of Afghan products to Turkey and Russian markets.