Wednesday, August 19th, 2026
Mr. Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), Mr. Ibrahim Mohib, Deputy Chairman for International Relations, other deputy chairmen and members of the ACCI Board of Directors met with Mr. Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh, Minister of Agriculture of the Islamic Republic of Iran, his accompanying delegation, and Mr. Alireza Bigdeli, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Kabul, during a reception hosted by ACCI. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Mawlawi Sadr-e-Azam Osmani, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Afghanistan; Mr. Ahmadullah Zahid, Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce; and a number of other officials. The two sides emphasized the expansion of economic, trade, and investment cooperation between Afghanistan and Iran.
During the meeting, Mr. Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of ACCI, welcomed the high-level Iranian delegation and highlighted the longstanding relations and historical, cultural, and economic ties between the two countries. He stated that Afghanistan and Iran possess significant potential for expanding mutually beneficial economic cooperation.
Referring to Afghanistan’s existing potential in agriculture, food processing, mining, energy, transit, manufacturing, and human resources, Mr. Hashemi emphasized the need to effectively utilize these capacities to increase trade volumes, attract joint investments, establish joint ventures, facilitate the transfer of knowledge and technology, develop processing industries, and create greater value within Afghanistan.
The Chairman of ACCI also called for expanded practical cooperation in the transfer of modern agricultural and irrigation technologies and methods, agricultural processing, production machinery, packaging, and the development of value chains. He stated that cooperation by Iranian companies and investors in these areas could contribute to the growth of domestic production and create new economic opportunities in Afghanistan.
He further emphasized the importance of providing greater facilitation for economic operators from both countries and called for cooperation between the relevant Afghan and Iranian institutions to facilitate visas for traders and investors, business travel, transit and movement of goods, banking interactions, customs procedures, and more effective utilization of trade port capacities.
Mr. Hashemi stressed that creating a favorable and predictable environment for trade and investment activities could increase private-sector confidence, expand bilateral trade, and contribute to sustainable economic cooperation between the two countries.
Mr. Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh, Minister of Agriculture of the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome and hospitality extended by Afghan authorities, ACCI leadership, and the country’s business community, and emphasized the importance of the longstanding and friendly relations between Afghanistan and Iran.
The Iranian Minister of Agriculture described the proposals presented by the Chairman of ACCI regarding the expansion of economic and trade relations as important and worthy of follow-up. He emphasized the need to transform the existing capacities between the two countries into practical, sustainable, and results-oriented cooperation.
Mr. Ghezeljeh, referring to recent changes and developments in Iran’s economic and trade conditions, stated that greater opportunities have emerged in certain areas, particularly for the export of food products, raw materials, construction materials, and health products, creating additional possibilities for cooperation and meeting the needs of the Afghan market.
He also highlighted new facilitation measures in Iran’s trade ports, customs procedures, and banking interactions, and encouraged Afghanistan’s private sector to make effective use of the available opportunities.
The Iranian Minister of Agriculture also announced plans to establish a special trade commission between Afghanistan and Iran in the near future. He stated that the commission, with the participation of specialists and experts from both countries, would provide a mechanism for the regular follow-up of trade and investment agreements and understandings.
He expressed hope that the establishment of this mechanism would enable agreed matters between the two countries to move beyond dialogue and understanding toward specific operational and implementation programs, thereby accelerating the expansion of trade and economic relations between Afghanistan and Iran.
The meeting was also attended by Mr. Ahmad Nabizada, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines; deputy chairmen of the Chambers of Agriculture and Artisans; and a number of Afghan traders and investors.
From the Iranian side, Mr. Akbar Fathi, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture; Hassan Momeni, Director General of International Affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture; Gholamreza Golmohammadi, Chairman of the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization; and Mr. Seyed Sajjad Hosseini, Head of Public Relations at Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture, also attended the meeting.
