By Alexei Martinionok: Prime Minister of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah is paying a working visit to Belarus these days.
The economy of Afghanistan is facing a number of challenges. The population of the country is three times that of the population of Belarus, while the GDP is almost three times lower. So, Belarusian experience and technologies will come in handy.
First, the Afghan Prime Minister visited Minsk Tractor Works. One of the world's largest producers of agricultural machinery can offer much to Afghanistan.
Equipment assembled at MTZ have long been working in the fields of this Central Asian country. Preference is given to medium-power machines of up to 100 horsepower. Over the past 60 years, 20,000 tractors have been delivered from Belarus to Afghanistan.
The business format that Minsk Tractor Works and Afghanistan use is unchanged – direct deliveries through dealers. This year, MTZ plans to ship more than half a thousand units of equipment. And this visit is regarded as an opportunity to expand the range of supplies.
78% of workers in Afghanistan are involved in agriculture. But the returns are not high – only one third of GDP. Increasing efficiency is possible through the modernization of the industry as a whole.
Minsk Automobile Plant is ready to close a number of problematic gaps. Here, Abdullah Abdullah got acquainted with the latest developments, too. The eco-bus was of particular interest.
The next point on the route was the Amkodor plant. Municipal and road machinery is also a subject of increased interest. Despite his busy schedule, Abdullah Abdullah enthusiastically studied the features of two dozen machines. While there are no direct deliveries of such cars between Minsk and Kabul, experts, however, are ready to offer mutually beneficial cooperation through neighboring countries. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are ready to mediate – Amkodor has a joint production and a dealer network there.
Leonid Pinchuk, the Head of Amkodor's CIS and Non-CIS Sales Office:
"We opened an assembly plant in the city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which borders directly with Afghanistan. They have quite good relations. For now, we assemble 5 models, but it is planned that this line will be expanded every year. We have already delivered 44 units of equipment, and this is only the first batch. We always take into account the requirements and interests of the buyer."
The agenda of the Afghan Prime Minister’s visit was extensive. Abdulla Abdulla will visit the Dzerzhinsky agro-industrial complex. Also, negotiations are expected to be held with Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov. As a result, the parties will sign a number of international documents.
Javid Faisal, the Deputy Spokesperson at the Office of the Chief Executive, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan:
"During the visit, we plan to sign agreements with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice of Belarus. One of them will promote the development of the trade sector. Another document is aimed at simplifying the visa regime, so that businessmen can enter a new level of cooperation."
Last year, the trade between Belarus and Afghanistan amounted to 26.5 million dollars. Compared to 2015, it has grown by 60%. This visit will help to move the cooperation still further. Before that, our exports were based on petroleum products, medicines, and machinery supplies. The imports included fruit and vegetables. The cooperation is now expanding, especially since Belarus has experience of successful work in the region.
