Pakistan, Russia start using Afghanistan for transit of goods

Moscow: Russia and Pakistan are transiting goods through the territory of Afghanistan, Pakistani Ambassador to Moscow Shafqat Ali Khan said this week.

In an interview with TASS, he said: “By the way, one important thing I can tell you is that for the first time, a large amount of trade is taking place through Afghanistan.”

“As the shipping has gotten more complicated, a lot of Pakistani traders are sending their products on trucks through Afghanistan, then they enter Central Asia, where they undergo customs clearance within the Eurasian Economic Union, for example – in Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan, and then they come to Moscow. And the whole process takes 25 to 35 days. It is running successfully. And some of the cargoes from Russia are also shipped to Pakistan along this route,” the ambassador added.

The senior diplomat noted that the parties are going to explore the possibility of using Iran for the same purpose.

“Products, trucks from Pakistan come to Iran, then through the Caspian [sea] to Azerbaijan and from there they enter Russian territory,” he said.

“So, challenges also create opportunities. Actually, I have just learned that trade has also been carried out through China, although not on a very large scale. Non-perishable goods were shipped to Chinese ports, from there they were sent to Moscow,” the ambassador added.