The Ministry of Finance in a statement said that it is trying to expand trade with Turkmenistan.

According to the ministry's statement, the first negotiations between the ministry and the Turkmenistan ambassador were held in Kabul, and the next meeting between the high-ranking tax delegations of the two countries will take place in the near future.

The ministry added that the talks between the officials of the two countries focused on avoiding double taxation, expanding trade relations, increasing investment and preventing tax evasion between the two countries.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said: "Their delegations came and spoke to the financial, commercial and transit sectors. It was a very good step, we are in favor of increasing our trade with Turkmenistan."

Businesspeople talked about the increase in trade between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan at Aqina port and asked the Islamic Emirate to take steps to facilitate the implementation of the new plan for Aqina.

Abdul Majeed Niazi, head of the chamber of commerce and investments of Faryab, said: "Our imports have increased a lot these days, the loaded trucks full of transit goods waited for two days on that side in queue and our unloaded trucks are also waiting at this side in queue and there are a lot of them. We are hopeful that they will adapt the plan for the new town of Aqina port because the previous governments could not do it."

At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce also said that the amount of trade between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan in the last year was $481 million.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, said: "Exports and imports between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan in 2023 were worth $481 million, which is about $3 million of exports and $477 million of imports."

Meanwhile,  the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), pointed out the challenges caused by Turkmenistan's not issuing visas to Afghan businessmen, and the large difference in the import and export balance.

Mirwais Hotak, head of the Executive Board of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said: "Trade with Turkmenistan has had its ups and downs, including the challenges and problems faced by Afghan businesspeople and investors in the field of obtaining visas, and on the other hand, the imbalance in the trade balance."

Afghanistan and Turkmenistan have two official ports which are Aqina in Faryab and Torghundi in Herat province.

According to the information of the MOIC, most of Afghanistan's imports from Turkmenistan are electricity, gas and oil, and marble, dried fruit and non-alcoholic beverages.