Afghanistan Interested In Developing Railroad Cooperation With Russia - Foreign Minister

Afghanistan Interested in Developing Railroad Cooperation With Russia - Foreign Minister

Afghanistan wants to develop the railroad cooperation with Russia, seeking greater regional connectivity, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar told Sputnik in an interview

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th February, 2021) Afghanistan wants to develop the railroad cooperation with Russia, seeking greater regional connectivity, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar told Sputnik in an interview.

Atmar is currently on a visit in Moscow. On Friday, he had a meeting with Russian Deputy Commerce Minister Aleksandr Morozov.

"In the conversation with the Russian deputy minister, we [discussed] the ways in which our railway authority can work with yours on a number of issues � on construction, on locomotive and on fortress railway development program," Atmar said.

Afghanistan has embarked on railroad construction for both the national and regional networks, so the minister said he specifically wanted to discuss the matter with Morozov. Atmar described it as an "important meeting with good conclusion."

"In order to be seriously connected to Central Asia and Russia we accepted the Russian gage for our railway. That gage is different from European gage, but we opted for that gage in order to make it possible for regional connectivity," Atmar said.

Asked whether any particular agreements were reached already, the Afghan minister said "surely it is going to happen" but refrained from giving any particular time line.