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Afghanistan’s commerce minister keen to attend BRICS Summit
Nooruddin Azizi said that Afghanistan is interested in participating as an observer nation
Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi says a delegation from Afghanistan may participate in this year’s BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia or attend the next event.
Speaking to Russia’s TASS news agency, Azizi said: "We have actually composed a letter [requesting participation in the BRICS Summit in Kazan] and sent it, now it is under consideration by BRICS officials.
“Respectively, when we get a reply from BRICS, when it makes a certain decision, we will make our certain decision as well. Perhaps we will participate [in the BRICS Summit] this time or next time," he said.
He went on to state that Afghanistan is interested in "participating as an observer".
Earlier this month the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said the invitation of guests to the summit is decided by consensus of the BRICS members.
He told reporters that the unrecognized status of the Islamic Emirate is a problem that needs to be taken into account when deciding on its participation.
In September, the Islamic Emirate formally asked to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan.
BRICS Summit Underway
This year’s summit officially opened on Tuesday and will run from October 22 to 24.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting the event in Russia’s southwestern city of Kazan.
The three-day conclave will be the largest gathering of world leaders in Russia in decades and will be held at a time when the Kremlin is locked in a war on Western-backed Ukraine.
BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The group started in 2006, and Brazil, Russia, India and China convened for the first BRIC summit in 2009. South Africa joined a year later.
The aim of the alliance is to challenge the economic and political monopoly of the West. The group sets priorities and has discussions once every year during the summit, which members take turns hosting.
Last year, BRICS extended invitations to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has yet to formally join, but the others have.
Leaders of BRICS member countries – including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa – are attending the summit.
UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have also all arrived.
Leaders of several other countries that have shown an interest in deepening ties with BRICS are also participating, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva canceled his trip to Russia after suffering a head injury in a fall at home on October 19. Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira will now represent the country at the summit.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also attending – and is expected to meet Putin on Thursday.
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Kyrgyz leader urges world to recognize current Afghan government
Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov has called one European countries and the United States to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) as the government of the country.
“Currently, they are in near-total isolation. We, as the global community, must understand one crucial thing: isolating Afghanistan from the rest of the world will not solve the problem. On the contrary, the longer this situation persists, the more the afghan people will endure difficult days,” Japarov said in an interview with Turkish TV channel TRT,
He also called for the return of the frozen assets for the future of the Afghan people.
“These funds could help the current Afghan government not only rebuild its infrastructure but also provide affordable loans to citizens through local banks, develop agriculture, and create opportunities to improve the lives of those living in poverty. Right now, the afghan people are suffering from hunger,” he said.
Japarov said that Afghanistan's leadership could be invited for a working visit to one or two European countries. “If they visit so-called developed countries and see firsthand how people live in various parts of the world, it could positively influence their governance experience. If we continue to isolate them, there won’t be any positive outcomes, even after 50 years.”
He also said that if European countries or the United States are willing to provide technical assistance to Afghanistan through various projects or specialized programs, Kyrgyzstan is ready to help implement these initiatives.
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US diplomat: Decision to ban medical education for women in Afghanistan is ‘indefensible’
US charge d’affaires for Afghanistan, Karen Decker, on Saturday criticized reports of a decision to close medical educational institutions to women, saying the decision was “indefensible in any language, culture, or religion.”
Decker said on X that the leadership of the Islamic Emirate in Kandahar has already risked the future of Afghanistan by preventing girls from becoming teachers or engineers.
“They would now destroy it completely by preventing girls from becoming doctors or midwives. Babies will not be born. Mothers will die. All the Afghan people will suffer. This decision must be reversed to prevent unnecessary misery,” she said.
Decker added that it is difficult to see the value of the IEA diplomacy abroad “if this is what they are selling.”
Recently, there have been reports that the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate ordered the closure of medical institutes for women. The Islamic Emirate has not yet officially commented on the matter.
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IEA says World Bank’s report on Afghan economic situation ‘far from reality’
Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Office on Saturday in a statement rejected the recent report of the World Bank on the economic situation of Afghanistan and called it “far from reality”.
The statement stated that the World Bank has ignored some of the economic achievements of the Islamic Emirate.
According to the statement, important projects have been started in different sectors since IEA’s takeover.
The statement added that only in the mining sector, about 415 billion afghanis of domestic and foreign investment have been attracted and similar projects are being implemented in other sectors.
The deputy PM’s office has emphasized that the international community should turn to positive interaction with Afghanistan.
This reaction comes while the World Bank said in a recent report that Afghanistan's economic outlook remains very fragile.
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