Iran is willing to assist Afghanistan in transportation and housing construction sectors, Iran’s minister of roads and urban development said.
Abbas Akhoundi made the statement in a meeting with Afghanistan’s Minister of Urban Development and Housing Sayed Sadat Mansoor Naderi who is heading a business delegation to Tehran on Saturday.
The purpose of this visit is to attract Iranian investment in Afghanistan’s housing projects, expand cooperation in roads and urban development projects, share experience and survey Iran’s housing projects, Afghanistan’s online newspaper Khaama Press reported.
Akhoundi emphasized Iran’s support for the government of Afghanistan.
“We stress the importance of expanding bilateral relations. We are willing to further support the Afghan government. We can take more effective steps compared to the past. After the nuclear deal with P5+1, Iran has better opportunities for development,” he said.
He stressed that Iran’s priority is regional development and Afghanistan enjoys a worthy position.
“We are well prepared to expand Iran’s railroads to Afghanistan, which would be the connecting point among Central Asian countries, Iran and China,” he said.
Akhoundi further said Iran is ready to share its experience with Afghanistan regarding urban development, construction and reconstruction of settlements, preservation of historical cities and assist Afghanistan in producing construction materials.
Praising Iran for housing millions of Afghan refugees, the Afghan minister said, “Shared religious, cultural, historical and linguistic values are major factors for coexistence and friendly relations between the two countries.”
Naderi referred to Iran’s cooperation with Afghanistan over the past 13 years and expressed optimism over expansion of this cooperation in different areas.
The Afghan minister also met with the heads and representatives of construction companies, as well as exporters of technical and engineering services.
In a meeting on Sunday, Naderi briefed participants on the structure and plans of the Afghan Ministry of Urban Development and Housing.
“It is true that Afghanistan is facing many challenges but besides all this, there are good opportunities for investment,” he said.
The Afghan minister highlighted good investment opportunities and cheap manpower in Afghanistan.
Naderi also visited Bank Maskan’s headquarters in Tehran on Sunday. Officials of the bank expressed readiness to train and share experience with their Afghan counterparts in the housing sector.
