Business
IEA sets up investment consortium with firms from Russia, Iran

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) administration has set up a consortium of companies, including some in Russia, Iran and Pakistan, to create an investment plan focusing on power, mining and infrastructure, the commerce minister said on Wednesday.
The consortium included 14 Afghan businessmen and foreign companies who would send delegates to Kabul to look into projects worth up to $1 billion, commerce minister Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters.
Afghanistan’s economy has been severely hampered since the IEA took over in 2021, sparking the international community to cut most development funding and enforce sanctions on the banking sector.
A series of attacks waged by Daesh has also left some investors worried.
Azizi said the administration was focused on launching several long term business plans including the consortium and special economic zones, and that it was working on ensuring security.
“Lots of discussions on security have taken place in cabinet meetings also, commissions have been established and … the hiding places (of militants) have been destroyed,” he said.
“The Islamic Emirate will ensure security and will support the private sector in the security field,” he said.
As well as mining and power projects, he said the consortium was eyeing the possibility of building a second tunnel through the Salang pass that connects Afghanistan’s north to the rest of the country, and a project to divert water from northern Panjshir province to the capital as well as re-building the main highway connecting Kabul to western Herat province.
Business
World Bank clarifies role in payments for Afghanistan projects
The World Bank said the payments concern outstanding debts owed by the former government of Afghanistan to contractors hired under World Bank-financed projects.

The World Bank said on Monday that payments being made to contractors for projects in Afghanistan related to work done prior to the collapse of the former government and that this was money owed to them.
The World Bank said the payments concern outstanding debts owed by the former government of Afghanistan to contractors hired under World Bank-financed projects.
These contractors completed their work before August 15, 2021, the World Bank said.
The contracts were made between the Afghan government and the contractors, making the government responsible for these payments, not the World Bank.
The World Bank said however it is helping to facilitate the payment process on an exceptional basis after thorough validation and independent verification.
The Bank is not a party to the contracts.
The institution said recent statements about this process and technical coordination reflect progress but noted that no restart of previous projects has been discussed or agreed upon.
Business
India allows entry of 160 Afghan trucks via Pakistan border

A day after a rare phone call between Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India has allowed 160 trucks carrying Afghan goods to enter through the Wagah border with Pakistan.
The trucks had been held up due to heightened military tensions between India and Pakistan following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The conversation between Muttaqi and Jaishankar marks the highest-level political contact between New Delhi and the Islamic Emirate since its return to power in Kabul in 2021.
Although India has yet to formally recognize the Islamic Emirate as the official government of Afghanistan, it is reportedly exploring options to resume stalled development projects in Afghanistan and deepen cooperation in specific sectors.
According to The Times of India, Indian officials are also considering the possibility of extending humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees recently deported from Pakistan.
Business
Kabul and Moscow ink five MoUs on trade, transit and energy

The Economic Deputy Office of the Prime Minister said on Friday that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk signed five memoranda of understanding in various sectors on the sidelines of the 16th Kazan International Economic Forum.
According to a statement from the PM’s office, these agreements were signed on Friday after the Afghanistan–Russia Business Forum held in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan.
“The agreements cover cooperation between Afghanistan’s Ministry of Transport and Aviation and the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation in the areas of transport and transit; expansion of trade relations between the chambers of commerce of both countries; cooperation between several major private companies of the two countries in the exploration, extraction, and refining of oil and gas in Afghanistan; and the development of regional trade and the establishment of an industrial-logistical complex,” the statement read.
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