DUSHANBE, July 26, 2015, Asia-Plus – Afghan diplomats have asked Tajikistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) to help improve cross-border trade in Afghan territory.

According to the CCI press center, this issues was discussed here on July 24 at a meeting between Sharif Said, Chairman of Tajikistan’s CCI and Mojibullah Malik-zade, Afghan Commercial Attaché in Tajikistan.

Afghan diplomat reportedly noted that restriction on free movement of people and commodities impeded the cross-border trade between the two countries.

“It is necessary to remove tariff and technical barriers impeding the cross-border trade,” Mojibullah Malik-zade noted.

Sharif-Said, for his part, noted that the cross-border trade plays an important role in strengthening bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, noting that five bridges were built across the Panj River to consolidate permanent overland links between the two countries, the source said.

Construction of one more bridge is nearing completion and marketplaces will be built on the Tajik sides in Qumsangir district in Khatlon province and in Vanj, Ishkashim and Murgab districts in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), Sharif Said noted.

According to data of the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the first half of this year has valued at more than 45.5 million U.S. dollars, 1.7 percent fewer than in the same period last year.  This consisted Tajikistan’s exports to Afghanistan estimated at little more than 11.5 million U.S. dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from Afghanistan worth about 34 million U.S. dollars.