Overview
- India’s foreign ministry welcomed Nooruddin Azizi in New Delhi, saying the visit focuses on advancing bilateral trade and investment.
- Azizi led a high-level delegation to the India International Trade Fair and was received by ITPO chief Neeraj Kharwal in the first such ministerial visit to the venue since 2021.
- Ariana Afghan Airlines cut India-only cargo rates on the Delhi–Kabul route to $0.80 per kg from Delhi and $1 per kg to Delhi, a move officials said takes effect immediately.
- Discussions are expected to cover restoring payment channels after Afghan banks lost SWIFT access, reviving the India–Afghanistan air freight corridor, and expanding two-way trade in farm goods, pharmaceuticals, machinery and textiles.
- Kabul is promoting Chabahar-based transit and direct air links to reduce reliance on Pakistan, while India last month upgraded its Kabul mission to a full embassy and agreed to set up a bilateral trade committee.