India, Afghanistan Agree on Trade Attachés to Boost Ties

India and Afghanistan have agreed to appoint dedicated commercial attachés in each other's capitals to strengthen bilateral trade, currently valued at over $1 billion, during a five-day visit by Afghanistan's Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, to New Delhi that began on November 20, 2025.

The decision emerged from bilateral meetings between Azizi and Indian officials, including Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. The two nations also committed to reactivating a joint working group on trade, commerce, and investment to facilitate cooperation. Azizi, leading a high-level delegation, invited Indian businesses to explore opportunities in Afghanistan, highlighting sectors such as mining, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, information technology, energy, and textiles.

"I would like to invite Indian industrialists and traders to see the potential of Afghanistan and the current enabling environment that we have already created for them," Azizi said during discussions. He outlined incentives including a 1 percent tariff on raw materials and machinery, free land allocations, reliable power supply,...