The train line is expected to generate jobs, an Afghan Economy Ministry representative has told RT India
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has said it will ensure the safety of a prospective rail route linking Russia to India, which would give Moscow access to the Indian Ocean.
“Yes. Afghanistan is in a vital geographical location. This project will create employment in Afghanistan,” a spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Economy, Abdul Rahman Habib, told RT India’s head of news, Runjhun Sharma, in a rare interview. “We support such projects.”
The full interview will be aired soon.
The Russia-India rail route was mooted by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, who said last week that Moscow wants a rail link to the Indian Ocean to reduce risks from maritime disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Khusnullin had said any options providing access to India would be acceptable, and suggested that routes could be explored through Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Afghanistan is a resource-rich but landlocked country with no direct sea access. A rail link to the Indian Ocean, and India itself, would help Kabul increase its trade revenues.
The Taliban has largely brought peace to Afghanistan since taking power in Kabul following the withdrawal of US forces in 2021 after 20 years of war.
Moscow and the Taliban government signed a military cooperation pact in May, aimed at strengthening Russia’s influence in Central Asia.
India is the second-largest buyer of Russian crude oil, which has to transit the Bab-el-Mandeb chokepoint on the Red Sea and pass through the conflict zone around the Strait of Hormuz and Oman.
New Delhi and Moscow are also traditional friends, who share a robust defense relationship. Both nations have set a $100 billion goal for their bilateral trade by 2030.
