Hajji Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund's speech at the sixth exhibition of the Economic Cooperation, Trade and Investment between China and South Asian Countries

In the name of Allah, the most Merciful.

(Nahmaduhu WanaSwali Ala Rassulihi Alkarim.) All the praise be to Allah and His blessings on His Messenger.

I welcome the presence of the regional countries in the sixth exhibition of the Economic Cooperation, Trade and Investment between China and South Asian Countries and thank our neighboring country, China, for this initiative and their invitation to me.

Honorable, audience! In the economic issues of the contemporary world, the regional economy is a new topic and an important issue that no one can ignore. Rather than a single country in the regional economy, the geographical, economic, political, and strategic characteristics of different countries are reviewed; accordingly, one region forges economic relations with another.

Of course, there is no doubt that each country in the region has its position and role in regional economic relations. For example, we can note the importance of Afghanistan's connection and energy transit from Central Asia to South Asian countries, as well as the transfer of industrial products from South Asia to Central Asian countries.

Since a large part of the world population lives in this region, rich in natural resources, it is necessary that we shape our regional policies in such a way that we can respond to the security, economic and human threats as well as to the needs of our countries.

In the Asian continent, China, South Asia, Central Asia, and next to us the Middle East are areas with extremely strong potentials. So, as the residents of this region, we all need to work together for the security, development, and comfort of our region. Afghanistan has the capacity to trade and invest in natural resources, agricultural products and the carpet industry, and its products have a special place in the world's markets.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, formed from the people of Afghanistan, as a responsible government, assures all countries in the region that no individual or group will ever be allowed to pose any threats to countries in the region and the world. With the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the establishment of the Islamic Emirate, the 43-year-long war has come to an end and full security has been ensured throughout the country, enabling Afghanistan to become the safest and most suitable country ever for transit, trade, investment, regional connectivity, and cooperation.

The security in Afghanistan has led to the acceleration of major regional projects such as TAPI, as well as the resumption of other projects such as CASA1000, TAP and TUTAP. Besides, the way has been paved for other new projects.

It is worth saying that China's efforts and investment in the "One Belt and One Road" project to connect China, South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East have a significant importance. This project will strengthen regional cooperation and improve multilateral trade. One of the characteristics of China is that it does not carry out any destructive political agendas in our region, nor does it interfere in our internal affairs. So, it is in the interest of the international economy that we strengthen our cooperation based on mutual interaction in our region.  In addition, Afghanistan is fully prepared to be a safe route for the transit and connection of Central and Southern Asia, and to open its borders even to the Middle East trade corridor.

As The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of Afghanistan, I call on all South Asian countries that Afghanistan is ready for any kind of cooperation needed for the transit and transfer of your commercial goods to Central Asian markets in ensured security. I also ask all the investors in the world to come and invest in Afghanistan and achieve their legitimate economic and trade goals together with the people of Afghanistan.

In the end, I must say that such exhibitions help traders in the region know the products of other countries and make business deals with each other by building an atmosphere of trust.

I hope that there will be more of such exhibitions in the future, and Afghanistan's products and traders will become a part of them like those of other countries. I conclude my speech here by appreciating the attention of all the participants and once again thank China for its invitation.