By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani invoked a historical image of capital Kabul as a bustling city at the cross-roads of ancient trading routes on Friday, when he insisted the country could return to its past glory.
Ghani told a gathering of ministers from more than 30 countries, in Kabul for a conference on rebuilding the Afghan economy, that Afghanistan could emerge from decades of conflict to become a regional trading hub.
“The only 33 percent of mapped mineral wealth of Afghanistan is worth around $1 to 3 trillion,” Ghani said, adding that by using its natural resources the country had the potential to produce 360,000 megawatts of energy.
He said it could become one of the world's top copper and iron producers and an important player in the gold market.
The two-day Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan was aimed at promoting Ghani's vision of a "New Silk Road" that would make Afghanistan a focal point of economic integration between South and Central Asia.
Ghani said the old trading routes, known as the Silk Road, were not just about infrastructure but also a sophisticated financial system that led to the creation of iconic cities.
“Kabul in those days was the home citizens from almost every region and the practitioner of each citizen,” he said.
He told the conference that Afghanistan has invested $10 billion on various airports across the country with six soon being made available for public-private partnership, helping towards the goal of Afghanistan facilitating trade and transit projects.
Representatives from Turkey, U.S., EU, U.K., India, Pakistan, Iran, neighboring Central Asian States and Gulf countries were among those attending the conferences.
