Afghanistan will set up a Consulate in Hyderabad, a facility that its Ambassador to India Shaida Mohammad Abdali on Friday said will help expand bilateral ties at different levels, especially in education, healthcare besides trade and business.
The Ambassador, addressing members of industry bodies FICCI and FTAPCCI here, said he would discuss on Saturday the ‘practical steps’ related to opening of the Consulate as well as a sister city agreement between Hyderabad and Jalalabad with Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao.
“We are going to soon send a delegation to Hyderabad to look for a place [for the Consulate],” he told presspersons later. Afghanistan, which now has its Embassy in Delhi and a Consulate in Mumbai, proposes to have a commercial attache office in Kolkata.
Growing trade
Highlighting the significance of a Consulate in Hyderabad, Mr. Abdali said there are 1,000 Afghanistan students in the city and the scope for growing trade and business is good.
The bilateral trade now is around $700 million and he expected it to touch $1 billion in a few years.
Once the Consulate opens there is a possibility of airlines operating services between Kabul and Hyderabad, he said, adding air carriers at present only linked Kabul and Delhi.
Strategic partnership
Afghanistan is keen on cooperation in the areas of mining, construction, energy, food processing, agri industry and information technology. Since both the countries are in a strategic partnership, Indian businessmen coming to Afghanistan stood to benefit, he said.
Chabahar route
The Ambassador said the logistics challenge, as a result of Pakistan not allowing transit, would be addressed with India, Iran and Afghanistan pact on use of the Iranian port of Chabahar as a commerce route. India, which would be developing facilities at the Iranian port, has already provided a road connectivity from the port to south Afghanistan.
“We want this to be economic hub,” he said, adding a conference of trade and business leaders of the three countries is to be held by the year end in Delhi. The conference, to highlight the benefits of the port as a trade route, would also have participation from Europe, US and the Middle East.
On security concerns in Afghanistan, he said the situation was a concern in some areas and it is bound to improve. Noting that several Indian companies had operations in Afghanistan, Mr. Abdali said: “You need to take some risk... then you can achieve.”
