Kazakhstan to appoint special representative for Afghanistan

Nur-Sultan, Feb 16 (IANS) Kazakhstan will soon appoint a special representative for Afghanistan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said during a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference.

According to the presidential press statement on Saturday, Tokayev called Afghanistan a good partner. To improve communication, a special representative from Kazakhstan for Afghanistan will be appointed, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ghani expressed interest in further expanding trade and economic ties between the two countries.

Addressing a panel discussion, Tokayev said that the two sides are doing a lot in order to grow closer.

About 1,000 young people from Afghanistan are studying in Kazakh universities and Kazakhstan is providing scholarships to Afghan women.

"I believe that the future of our cooperation is bright," said Tokayev.

More than 500 high-level international decision-makers, including over 35 heads of state or government as well as some 100 foreign and defence ministers gathered at the Munich conference to discuss current and future security challenges.