Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said that Afghanistan wants to increase co-operation with China. A press release issued by Afghan President’s office in Kabul todays says Afghanistan sees its stability and economic development in enhancing economic cooperation with the China.

President Karzai who was in Chinese capital Beijing yesterday in connection with the Shanghai Cooperation Summit met with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) chairman and took keen interest in Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline through Afghanistan and Tajikistan. According to the press release it was decided that a CNPC delegation visit Kabul this month in order to sign the framework agreement with the Afghan government.

The Afghan President instructed Afghanistan’s Minister of Mining Wahidullah Shahrani, to prepare a comprehensive framework agreement for cooperation between the Afghan government and the Chinese petroleum company.

The CNPC which won a contract for exploration and extraction of three oil deposits of Amu River Basin in northern Afghanistan through an international bidding and it is likely to start extracting the oil in September of this year.

Earliar addressin the professors and students of a university President Karzai said Afghanistan’s good and friendly relations with one country would not come in the way to strenthening its relations with any other country. He said strategic partnership agreements with the United States and other countries would strengthen Afghanistan’s relations with the world. 

Afghan President said, China has good relations with both Afghanistan and Pakistan and it can encourage Pakistan to honestly fight against terrorism and extremism.