Kabul will sign a contract with Tehran to export coal in the near future, Afghanistan’s industry and commerce minister said.
Speaking to ArianaNews, Nooruddin Azizi added that much progress has been made in the negotiations for exporting coal to Iran, adding that they are trying to expand the volume of exports so that Afghanistan’s trade balance becomes equal.
“We are in contact with Iran and the country is eager to import coal from Afghanistan,” he said, noting that Iran needs coal for its iron ore plants.
Azizi also said that all exports of the country, including coal, are done in accordance with the prices of the international market, and that there is no reason to worry in this regard.
Iran will initiate mining in Afghanistan’s Ghor Province within a month, local officials were quoted as saying by Fars News Agency earlier.
An Iranian company has signed contracts to start mining for lead and zinc in Ghor, the report added.
Ebrahim Jamili, the head of the Mines and Mining Industry Commission of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, says Iran’s private sector is planning to invest in the mines of Afghanistan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan.
“We might need to transfer technology to these countries and, in return, meet our domestic needs for minerals from these mines,” he said.