Business
Misunderstanding of Afghanistan sanctions crippling local businesses: NRC report
Over-compliance and misconceptions about the scope of international sanctions have led to severe obstacles for the Afghan business community, including for businesses that import and export food and other essential goods, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said in a report released Wednesday.
The report calls on the international community to improve awareness about sanctions and reduce over-compliance. It argues that concrete steps must be taken to address the crippled Afghan economy and ongoing unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
“Humanitarian aid alone cannot meet the needs of the millions of Afghans who have lost their jobs and been forced to take on huge debts and sell their possessions just to be able to buy food needed for survival,” said Neil Turner, NRC’s country director in Afghanistan. “We must reverse this devastating economic disaster. A stable economy, thriving private sector, and the reintroduction of development programmes are important to complement the work of humanitarian organizations.”
Since the Islamic Emirate returned to power in 2021, international actors have pursued political and economic isolation policies towards Afghanistan. More than 28 million people are now on the brink of survival, according to the report.
NRC said that there are comprehensive exemptions to the sanctions that should enable the transfer of money in and out of Afghanistan for activities designed to address the basic needs of the population, but banks continue to restrict businesses’ access to financial services despite the exemptions in place. Afghan businesses highlighted that payment instructions for any international bank transaction that mention Afghanistan get blocked, even for transactions for food shipments via the United Nations.
“We need to educate overseas companies and banks that Afghanistan itself is not under sanctions. There is a real lack of understanding about this – particularly among key sectors in our main export and import markets,” said an executive of a large agricultural firm in Afghanistan.
To address the complex political, economic, and social changes since IEA’s return to power, NRC called on major governments, financial institutions, UN agencies and relevant regional actors to urgently convene to establish measures to stabilize and support Afghanistan’s economy for the benefit of all the Afghan people.
“Concrete steps must be agreed to address the barriers faced by critical private sector actors in Afghanistan, including challenges in accessing financial services. On top of this, it’s vital that mechanisms are stepped-up to provide technical assistance to the Afghanistan Central Bank to support its resumption of core functions that are critical to support the Afghan economy, private sector actors, and ultimately the Afghan people who have already endured so much,” added Turner.
Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, met with representatives from the ministries of foreign affairs, defense and interior of Malaysia, along with other senior officials, on Wednesday and called on Malaysians to invest in Afghanistan.
The visiting delegation is being led by senior diplomat Dr. Shazelina Zainul Abidin.
According to the IEA’s foreign ministry, the two sides discussed bilateral trade, holding a business communication conference to strengthen trade relations between the two countries, the trade balance between Afghanistan and Malaysia, and creating a market for Afghan products, including carpets, cotton, and minerals.
According to the ministry, at the end of the meeting, the Acting Minister emphasized the increase of investment from regional countries in Afghanistan and called on Malaysian investors to also invest in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Interior says that Afghanistan has started exporting goods to Turkey via the Herat-Khaf railway line.
In a post on X, the ministry said: “Afghanistan’s exports to Turkey started in a calm atmosphere through the Herat-Khaf railway line.”
The ministry added that one train will run daily for a month and then two trains will run daily.
According to the ministry, the security of Khaf-Herat railway line is provided by the guards of the National Public Protection Agency.
Khaf-Herat railway project not only connects Iran and Afghanistan by rail, but also completes a 2,000-kilometer route along the east-west rail corridor from China, through Uzbekistan, to Afghanistan, to Iran, and on to Turkey and Europe.
As a landlocked country, this railway network will provide a safe route to connect with Europe via Iran’s railway network and Iran’s southern ports.
This railway line is strategic for trade between Iran and Afghanistan and will allow six million tons of goods to be sent between the two countries.
A joint expo between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan will be held in Kabul in the next four days, officials said on Sunday.
Officials of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said that the two-day expo will be held for the purpose of expanding and strengthening trade relations between the two countries.
“This expo will be held as a follow-up of the Kazakh-Afghan international expo, which was held in the city of Astana, Kazakhstan, with the participation of a large delegation of the government and the private sector of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” Abdulsalam Javad Akhundzadeh, the spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, said.
“At this expo, domestic products from different sectors of Afghanistan and the Republic of Kazakhstan will be put on display for two days.”
According to officials, 40 large Kazakh companies, and 40 large Afghan companies will exhibit their products.
Mohammad Saber Latifi, head of the Afghanistan International Expo Center, said that fruits, minerals and commercial services will be displayed at the expo.
During the expo, various memorandums of understanding for the trade of goods are also expected to be signed by companies.
Underdogs Afghanistan qualify for Futsal World Cup
Ghori State Cement in Baghlan increases production
Saar: US diplomat’s trip to Qatar, Pakistan on Afghanistan discussed
Regional countries should jointly expand stability and development: Deputy PM
Red Cross official seeks ‘staggered’ return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan
Dead body of Quran-burner found in Norway
ATN secures rights to produce, broadcast second season of KPL
Yadav hits 156.7 km/h as Lucknow trump Bengaluru in IPL match
Afghanistan’s national futsal team ‘ready for’ group stage of Asian Cup
Indian foreign ministry advises against travel to Iran, Israel
Saar: US diplomat’s trip to Qatar, Pakistan on Afghanistan discussed
Tahawol: 32nd anniversary of Mujahidin’s Victory Day discussed
Saar: 32nd anniversary of Mujahidin’s Victory Day discussed
Saar: 46th anniversary of 7th Saur coup in Afghanistan discussed
Tahawol: Pakistan’s security concerns from Afghan soil discussed
-
World5 days agoNorth Korea officials visit Iran in a rare public trip
-
Sport4 days ago‘Serious talent’ Fraser-McGurk bonds with Warner to light up IPL
-
Latest News4 days agoOver 1,000 Afghan refugees forced out of Pakistan in one day
-
Sport2 days agoAfghanistan beat Iraq 5-3, inch closer to Futsal World Cup berth
-
Regional2 days agoNew UK sanctions target Iranian drone industry
-
Regional3 days agoTurkey accuses U.S. of double standards over Gaza in rights report
-
Latest News2 days agoEU allocates 17 million euros to support Afghans on the move
-
Latest News2 days agoPakistan extends registered Afghan refugees’ stay till June 30