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IEA, EU discuss reactivating Afghanistan’s WTO membership
Ahmadullah Zahed, Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, met late Tuesday with Veronika Boskovic Pohar, Chargé d’Affaires of the European Union in Afghanistan, to discuss the reactivation of Afghanistan’s World Trade Organization (WTO) membership and the expansion of trade relations.
“During the meeting, discussions focused on the EU’s cooperation in reactivating Afghanistan’s WTO membership, facilitating the export of Afghan goods, establishing connections between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Islamic Emirate and international exhibition organizations, and promoting the active participation of Afghan private sector members in global trade fairs,” said Abdul Salam Jawad Akhundzada, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
The EU Chargé d’Affaires pledged to consult with relevant colleagues on the matters discussed and to share the outcomes with the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Meanwhile, the private sector has emphasized that Afghanistan’s return to the WTO is a key step toward expanding the country’s trade relations.
Economic experts have also stated that if Afghanistan is able to rejoin the WTO, it could help address many of the country’s challenges related to imports and exports.
Afghanistan’s membership in the WTO was suspended following the return of the Islamic Emirate to power in 2021. Currently, more than 150 countries are members of the organization. Afghanistan originally joined in 2015.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) has announced that Mahdi Ansary, a reporter for the Afghan News Agency (AFKA), has been released after serving one and a half years in Bagram prison.
In a statement welcoming his release, AFJC emphasized that the fundamental rights of this journalist—who had been tried and imprisoned on charges of cooperating with exiled and foreign media—were “seriously” violated.
Ansari was arrested on October 5, 2023, after returning from his workplace in Kabul.
He was sentenced on January 1, 2024 by the Kabul Primary Court to one and a half years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Emirate.”
Farid Dehqan, spokesperson for the Khas Kunar police command, said that rocket attacks by the Pakistani military regime are still ongoing in the province.
These attacks come despite earlier announcements by the Pakistani military of a temporary ceasefire for Eid.
Afghanistan’s Chief of Armed Forces, Fasihuddin Fitrat, said in his Eid message that Pakistan’s military regime has violated the ceasefire along the Durand line.
According to the Eid message released by the Ministry of Defense, several civilians were killed in attacks carried out by Pakistani forces in border areas.
Fitrat added that the continuation of Pakistan’s attacks despite the ceasefire “demonstrates a lack of commitment and deception” on the part of the country.
He stressed that the Islamic Emirate has refrained from retaliatory action in order to prevent further deterioration of the situation and has remained committed to the ceasefire.
However, he warned that if such attacks are repeated, “the ceasefire will become meaningless,” and the Islamic Emirate will deliver a “decisive response” to Pakistan’s actions.
It is worth noting that the Islamic Emirate and Pakistan reached a temporary ceasefire on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr through mediation by Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.
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