A Kazakh company, Kazakhmys Barlau, has begun exploration operations in Afghanistan’s mining sector, TOLOnews reported.
The company has described Afghanistan as a promising location for mineral extraction and stated that the country possesses high-purity reserves of lead and zinc.
At the same time, the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, referring to the close ties between Kabul and Astana, said that Afghanistan has vast mineral reserves and that Kazakhstan has the capacity to invest in these resources.
Homayoun Afghan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, said: “Kazakhstan, on the one hand, maintains good relations with the Islamic Emirate, and on the other, Kazakh companies have sufficient capacity in the mining sector. Afghanistan holds extensive mineral reserves and is working with major companies to ensure Afghan minerals are extracted in a standard manner and processed within the country.”
Kazakhstan and Afghanistan recently signed a memorandum of understanding on the basic principles for the construction and operation of a railway line linking Central Asia to South Asia.
