Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister for Economic Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), met with a number of Afghan investors based in Tehran on Tuesday and assured them of the Islamic Emirate’s support.

He also called on them to return home.

Baradar highlighted the improvement in security for Afghan citizens and businessmen since the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate, which he said now allows them to conduct business safely.

Mullah Baradar also discussed the stabilization of the economic situation, citing the reduction of corruption and bureaucracy to facilitate investment.

He mentioned efforts to provide adequate electricity for industry, develop industrial parks, lower taxes on raw materials, and initiate highway reconstruction for improved trade, the support for domestic products through increased import taxes on items Afghanistan produces and the promotion of Afghan products at exhibitions.

Baradar noted that foreign investors, such as Turkish, Iranian, Arab, and British companies, are engaging in mining contracts and that a dedicated committee involving relevant ministries and agencies was formed under the deputy prime minister’s office so as to streamline the investment process and minimize bureaucracy.

“Security threats, corruption, and drug-related issues have been addressed, and the focus is on cultivating wheat, cotton, and other agricultural products,” Baradar told investors.

He also stressed the importance of investing in essential sectors like food production, medicine, energy, mining, agriculture, transportation, infrastructure, communication, and health. He called upon all Afghans, regardless of ethnicity or language, to contribute to the country’s development, urging Afghan experts, national businessmen, industrialists, and investors worldwide to invest in various sectors.

He reminded them of their responsibility to help their homeland thrive, emphasizing the rich potential of Afghanistan. He encouraged Afghan investors living abroad to seize the current opportunity to contribute to their country’s recovery after four decades of hardship and conflict.

At the end of the meeting, Baradar said that honor and respect is given at home and raised the issue of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, and how they are being treated.

He told the investors at the meeting that it would be better if they returned to their homeland with honor and dignity.

During his visit to Iran, Baradar also toured a technology exhibition. Joining him were Ruhollah Dehghani Firouz Abadi, Iran’s Vice President for Science and Technology, and several other officials from both nations.

In his address at the exhibition, Baradar acknowledged Iran’s historical cooperation with Afghanistan and praised its remarkable technological progress even in challenging circumstances.

He expressed the desire for Iran to offer educational opportunities in technology and engineering to Afghan students, a step toward resolving issues in this field.

He also noted Afghanistan’s past potential for technical education, which had been hindered by the four-decade-long conflict but now stands as a focus for the Islamic Emirate’s leadership, working to provide educational and developmental opportunities for Afghan youth in technology and engineering.

Vice President Ruhollah Dehghani Firouz Abadi, responsible for technology in Iran, assured Baradar of Iran’s readiness to collaborate with Afghanistan in the realm of technology.