In a significant step to strengthen healthcare cooperation between India and Afghanistan, two private companies signed a major pharmaceutical partnership in Dubai on Thursday — the first such agreement since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Zydus Lifesciences, a listed Indian pharmaceutical major, and Rofi’s International Group of Companies inked a $100 million memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Afghan Consulate in Dubai in the presence of Afghan Ambassador to UAE, according to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Under the terms of the pact, Zydus will export medicines to Afghanistan and eventually establish a representative office in the country.
The Afghan statement also said that the Indian company would also transfer technical data and expertise to establish a manufacturing facility in Afghanistan.
The agreement between the two companies was agreed upon during the recent visit of Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi's visit to India from 19-25 November, it said.
During his visit, Azizi held talks on trade and connectivity with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal as well as Indian industry associations - Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL), Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), Manmade and Technical Textiles Export Promotion Council (MATEXIL), PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), and Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India (PHARMEXCIL), according to a readout by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) this week.
The major outcomes of Azizi's visit included the launch of the air freight corridor between Kabul and Delhi and Kabul and Amritsar, agreement on posting commercial representatives at the respective embassies and the institutionalisation of the joint India-Afghanistan commerce chamber, MEA said.