Afghanistan hosts economic conference

Afghanistan is today welcoming officials from several nearby nations for a two-day regional economic conference the government said would enhance security and promote cooperation and development.

Britain, which holds the presidency of the G8 group of industrialised nations, is to co-chair the conference, and Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells is expected to take part, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Also expected were officials from the six nations that share a border with Afghanistan – Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan and China - as well as India, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Following the defeat of the hard-line Taliban government at the hands of US-led forces in 2001, impoverished Afghanistan has been struggling to recover from a quarter-century of war and chaos.

The conference is a chance for nations in the region to enhance security and promote economic development, the Foreign Ministry said.

The conference will also focus on cooperation in areas including electricity and energy generation, transportation, trade, border management, investment and the improvement of business climates.