KABUL - Afghanistan on Wednesday signed an agreement with Kazakhstan on regular political consultations, with Astana pledging to cooperate with Kabul in different spheres of life.
After signing the accord with his Kazakh counterpart Yerzhan Kazykhanov, Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul said they had held fruitful talks on security and trade cooperation.

He told reporters that Kazakhstan had evinced a keen interest in investment in different areas, particularly in Afghanistan's untapped mining sector. Regional issues also figured at the meeting.
Promising all possible support for the war-torn country, Kazykhanov also signaled willingness for a railroad between the Central Asian nations.

Kazakhstan's future assistance to Afghanistan would focus on basic development projects, including in the transport sector, said the visiting minister, who also vowed expanded agriculture and trade collaboration.
Kazykhanov, who flew into Kabul to attend the Heart of Asia Conference, also met President Hamid Karzai. The regional meeting is slated for Thursday (today).

Participants of ministerial gathering will discuss a sustained and incremental approach to implementing the confidence-building measures (CBMs) agreed at the Istanbul Conference in November last year.

The aim is to bring Afghanistan and its surrounding region for the first time into the unique 'Heart of Asia' format, a follow-up to the Istanbul process on regional security and cooperation to stabilize Afghanistan.
Representatives from Afghanistan's six neighboring countries, foreign ministers from eight regional states and regional and global organizations will attend the meeting. (Pajhwok)