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Afghanistan signs $20 million contract for salt mining in Herat
According to the ministry, the project covers an area of 9.7 square kilometers and involves an investment of approximately $20.045 million. The contract has been awarded for a period of 15 years.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has signed a contract worth more than $20 million for the extraction and processing of salt from a mine in western Herat province.
The agreement was signed on Thursday by Mines and Petroleum Minister Hedayatullah Badri and the Red Gold Asia Mining and Processing Company for Block Two of the Namsar salt deposit in Ghoryan district.
According to the ministry, the project covers an area of 9.7 square kilometers and involves an investment of approximately $20.045 million. The contract has been awarded for a period of 15 years.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Badri highlighted the economic importance of the project and said the company would pay a royalty of 1,500 afghanis (AFN) per ton of extracted salt. He stressed that the contractor must carry out all operations in accordance with Afghanistan’s mining laws, regulations and contractual commitments.
The ministry said the company has also committed to spending $930,000 on community development projects and social services in the area in addition to royalty payments.
Officials added that the company will be required to comply with environmental protection obligations outlined in the contract.
The project is expected to create employment opportunities for around 100 people and forms part of the government’s broader efforts to attract investment into Afghanistan’s mining sector and increase domestic resource development.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce has announced that a high-level delegation from Uzbekistan, comprising government officials and private sector representatives, led by Jamshid Khojaev, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, arrived in Kabul on Saturday.
According to the ministry’s statement, the delegation was welcomed at Kabul International Airport by Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Commerce.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce added that the purpose of the Uzbek delegation’s visit to Kabul is to hold meetings and discussions with officials of the Islamic Emirate and representatives of Afghanistan’s private sector, as well as to participate in the trade forum.
Sadin Ayyıldız, Chargé d’Affaires of the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, held a courtesy meeting on Saturday with Attaullah Omari, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The Turkish Embassy in Kabul said in a post on X that during the meeting, the two sides held constructive and fruitful discussions on expanding cooperation in the agriculture sector.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday renewed his call for Afghanistan to take action against militant groups, saying Afghan territory should not be used to launch attacks against Pakistan.
“Pakistan shares over 2,600-kilometre border with its neighbour and has repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to act against terrorist organisations and prevent Afghan territory from being used against Pakistan,” Sharif said speaking at an event in Balochistan province. “However, the Afghan interim government has failed to take effective action against these groups.”
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan of failing to curb the activities of militant groups that Islamabad says carry out attacks inside Pakistan. The Islamic Emirate has consistently rejected the allegations, insisting that Afghan territory is not used against any country and calling on Pakistan to address its own security challenges internally.
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