Connect with us

Latest News

Afghanistan’s commerce minister keen to attend BRICS Summit

Nooruddin Azizi said that Afghanistan is interested in participating as an observer nation

Published

on

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.

 

Latest News

Russian firm eyes investment in Afghanistan’s power plants

Published

on

Russia’s Power Machines Company is interested in investing in the rehabilitation and modernization of Afghanistan’s power plants, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) said on Tuesday.

DABS Chief Executive Officer Abdul Haq Hamkar discussed the potential investment with technical officials from Power Machines, with talks focusing on rehabilitating existing power plants, modernizing equipment and expanding power-generation capacity.

According to DABS, Hamkar said the company would cooperate in facilitating preliminary technical assessments of Afghanistan’s power plants and in exploring investment opportunities in the sector.

Denis Rudakov, head of Power Machines’ commercial department, said the Russian company plans to conduct preliminary technical assessments of existing power plants in Afghanistan.

Based on the findings, Power Machines will prepare proposals for rehabilitating facilities, modernizing equipment and increasing electricity-generation capacity, DABS said.

Afghanistan currently has several operational power plants, while efforts are underway to increase their generation capacity and upgrade their equipment, according to DABS.

Continue Reading

Latest News

IEA denies it is holding Afghan-American Mahmood Shah Habibi

Published

on

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), on Tuesday denied that IEA authorities detained Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman the US claims disappeared in Kabul four years ago.

“We have no information about Mahmood Shah Habibi. He is not with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. If he were, this issue would have been resolved long ago,” Mujahid said.

His remarks came a day after the FBI marked the fourth anniversary of Habibi’s disappearance and renewed its appeal for information about his whereabouts.

According to the FBI, Habibi disappeared near his home in Kabul on August 10, 2022. At the time, he was working as a consultant for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company. He had previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation.

The FBI has alleged that Habibi was detained by the IEA’s General Directorate of Intelligence.

The FBI has continued its investigation and in 2025 released a missing-persons poster for Habibi. The U.S. State Department has also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Justice minister rejects claims of ethnic, religious bias in land reclamation

Published

on

Afghanistan’s Justice Minister Abdul Hakim Sharei says the reclamation of state-owned land seized by land grabbers is a legal matter and should not be linked to ethnicity, religion or language.

Sharei, who also heads the Commission for the Prevention of Land Grabbing, made the remarks at a meeting with officials and representatives of charitable organizations in Kabul.

He said the commission is legally and religiously obligated to enforce rulings issued by the special court handling cases involving seized state land. Once the court determines that a disputed plot belongs to the state, the commission must enforce the decision, he said.

Sharei said the special court bases its rulings on documents, evidence and the law, adding that legal principles must be applied equally to all parties.

The justice minister also called on charitable organizations to work toward establishing a nationwide union and to expand their activities into fundamental and infrastructure projects.

He urged charities to avoid photographing or filming people while distributing aid, saying such practices could undermine the dignity of those receiving assistance.

Representatives of charitable organizations raised concerns over taxes, customs procedures and lengthy administrative processes. The Ministry of Justice said it would work to address the issues following the establishment of a nationwide union.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending

Copyright © 2025 Ariana News. All rights reserved!


Warning: Undefined array key "slug" in /var/www/vhosts/ariananews.af/httpdocs/wp-includes/class-wp-theme-json.php on line 2117

Warning: Undefined array key "slug" in /var/www/vhosts/ariananews.af/httpdocs/wp-includes/class-wp-theme-json.php on line 2117

Warning: Undefined array key "slug" in /var/www/vhosts/ariananews.af/httpdocs/wp-includes/class-wp-theme-json.php on line 2117