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A high-level Russian delegation will soon visit Kabul: envoy
Kabulov and Muttaqi discussed bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Russia, especially economic cooperation, investment and transit
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Russia’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said in a meeting with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul that a high-level Russian delegation will visit Kabul in the near future to discuss the expansion of bilateral cooperation with the Islamic Emirate.
Kabulov and Muttaqi discussed bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Russia, especially economic cooperation, investment and transit, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Muttaqi described the relations between the Islamic Emirate and Russia as important, stressing that the ties should be expanded to include economic and trade cooperation.
He said visits to Kabul by high-level officials was important, adding that during the past year, many officials of the Islamic Emirate have been invited to Russia to attend international meetings.
Meanwhile, the Russian diplomat said that his country wants to expand its relations with Afghanistan in the economic and trade sectors.
This comes on the heels of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko’s comments that the completion of legal procedures to remove the Islamic Emirate from Moscow’s terrorist list will provide positive impetus to Russian-Afghan relations.
In an interview with Russia’s TASS news agency, published early Sunday, Rudenko said “removing the terrorist organization’s status from the Taliban Movement (Islamic Emirate) will attribute a positive impetus to Russian-Afghan interaction in various spheres, in the economy in the first instance."
"As regards the issue of the official recognition of current Afghan authorities, it is early to talk about it thus far. Let’s act gradually, step by step, but we do not intend to artificially impede the processes," Rudenko noted.
Russia has been slowly building ties with the Islamic Emirate since it regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021 but the IEA is still officially outlawed in Russia.
In response to Russia’s comments last month, the IEA’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the Islamic Emirate “appreciates the positive remarks by the high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation in this regard and hope to see more effective steps soon."
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Pakistani politician Rehman says his country cannot afford war with Afghanistan
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Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, leader of Pakistani political party Jamaat-e-Islami, said on Thursday that Pakistan cannot afford war with Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan needs to understand that its matters cannot be addressed without us [Pakistan]," Rehman said on Samaa TV.
“We have come up with the proposal that the JI and other political forces should hold the jirga on the matter,” said Rehman.
“Some of the delegations will visit Afghanistan in the forthcoming days,” he added.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are planned in Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate, however, has denied the allegations, saying Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan's "security failure".
The Pakistani army carried out airstrikes on Barmal district of Afghanistan's Paktika province last month, killing and wounding dozens of people.
The Islamic Emirate retaliated by attacking several points across the Durand Line.
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Biden: History will reflect that withdrawal from Afghanistan was right thing to do
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US President Joe Biden, in his final speech to military before leaving office, defended the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, saying that history will reflect that it was the right thing to do.
He said the troops "rose to the occasion" when he asked for the war in Afghanistan to end, "evacuating Americans, allies and our Afghan partners, accomplishing the largest airlift in military history and ending a war. The same courage is defined by American service in Afghanistan for over 20 years."
He said he believes "history will reflect that was the right thing to do, but I know, I know, it was hard after decades of losing your brothers and sisters, including [during the] withdrawal. The pain was still real. And it was for me as well. Every day I still carry, every single day."
Biden has been criticized for his handling of the messy Afghanistan withdrawal, when 13 US soldiers were killed at the Kabul airport in August 2021.
He added that six months after American troops withdrew from Afghanistan, "when Russia began its largest war in Europe since World War II, I asked you to help defend Ukraine. You didn't hesitate. You kept Ukraine in the fight, trained Ukrainian soldiers and pilots, troops, bolstered NATO's eastern flank. And, above all, you showed the world America stands up for freedom, stands with our friends."
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that in Afghanistan, President Biden ended America's longest war that spanned four presidents and he refused hand it over to one more.
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IEA has provided facilities for industrialists and investors: Baradar
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Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar says the Islamic Emirate has provided land, privileges, and facilities for industrialists and returning investors in industrial zones.
Speaking at a conference in Kabul on Thursday titled “Calls for Investment in Afghanistan”, Baradar said that the law for industrial zones had been signed with an introduction, six chapters, 11 sections, and 67 articles.
"I urge industrialists and investors to transfer their industries and investments to the country so that they can fulfill their responsibility in the development of the country's industry,” said Baradar.
He stated that the IEA has increased customs duties on imported items that are produced domestically and meet the needs of the people, in order to support local production.
Baradar added that all government departments have been instructed to prioritize domestic products in their purchases.
Meanwhile, the acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi also announced at the conference that 160,000 hectares of land has been allocated to industrialists, and 1,200 investors have invested $500 million in various sectors.
Azizi said: “We have around 1,200 companies requesting land, and approximately $500 million is being invested by them in Afghanistan."
According to him, returning industrialists and traders are exempt from customs duties on machinery and equipment imports, and at their request, two-year visas will be issued for their foreign technical workers and engineers.
The acting Minister of Economy Din Mohammad Hanif also said: “If Afghan investors residing abroad bring half of their investment back to the country, Afghanistan will become self-sufficient."
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