Eighth meeting of “Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit and Trade Agreement Coordination Committee" holds in Islamabad

Jadi 9: December 29, 2020
Following a series of meetings of Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit and Trade Agreement Coordination Committee, the eighth Optica technical meeting was hosted on Monday Jadi 8: December 28,2020 by the Ministry of Commerce and the Senior Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with the participation of the Afghan delegation.
The meeting was initiated by the Minister of Industry and Trade of Afghanistan and the Senior Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Subsequently, delegations from both countries began technical discussions, led by Hashmatullah Ghafouri, deputy minister of irrigation and natural resources of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) Afghanistan. Mr. Ghafouri spoke about the details of the Apta MoU. After that, a comprehensive discussion began on this memorandum, which was signed between the two countries in 2010 and is going to end in February 2021.
Hashmatullah Ghafouri, who is chairing the Afghan delegation, discussed the importance of the document in his opening remarks, noting that he had considered the experiences and issues encountered during (Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement). Last year, we felt that we would prepare the contents of the new Apta Memorandum of Understanding with an understanding after comprehensive discussions so that the problems of the private sector in both countries could be addressed.
According to the agenda, the Optica meetings will last  for another two days, and a delegation from both sides is expected to conclude the meetings on the contents of the forthcoming Opta document, how the ninth Optica meeting will be held, and the protocols and ancillary agreements.
It should be noted that in addition to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock MAIL, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Railway Administration, Traffic Administration, the Chamber of Commerce and Investment and the Ministry of Transport have participated.