Hakimi, UK envoy discuss wide range of issues

KABUL (Pajhwok): Finance Minister Eklil Hakimi and United Kingdom (UK) Ambassador Nicholas Kay have discussed a wide range of issues, a statement said on Saturday.

Both the sides discussed adaptive mechanism of the Senior Official Meeting (SOM), women’s empowerment and the Afghanistan national budget for the solar year 1397, a statement from the British Embassy in Kabul said.

Hakimi and Kay conferred on strengthening Afghanistan’s economic and trade relations with its neighbors and connection through rail railways and transmission of Turkmen gas through Afghanistan to China.

The two also discussed results of the trilateral meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and China on economic cooperation and development projects, construction of dry ports, review of project funding through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund(ARTF).

The fight against corruption, customs reform, customs exchange mechanism with neighboring countries and other related issues also came up for discussion.

nh/ma