Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan held high-level talks in Kabul aimed at strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations, officials said.

The meeting brought together Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and Bakyt Sadykov, Minister of Economy and Trade of the Kyrgyz Republic, who is leading a visiting delegation to the Afghan capital.

Azizi welcomed the Kyrgyz delegation and thanked them for visiting Kabul, underscoring the importance of closer economic engagement between the two countries.

During the talks, both sides discussed ways to boost bilateral trade by making better use of existing capacities and identifying priority export commodities.

The discussions also focused on developing transit routes, signing transit agreements, attracting joint domestic and foreign investment, and expanding cooperation through trade exhibitions, business conferences and regular meetings.

The two ministers stressed the need to implement earlier agreements, particularly the economic and trade cooperation roadmap signed during a previous visit by an Afghan delegation to Kyrgyzstan.

They said effective follow-up on these commitments would be key to translating discussions into tangible results.

Officials from both countries said the meeting was intended to deepen economic, trade and investment ties, while opening new avenues for partnership between Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan in the coming period.

Amnesty International on Tuesday called on world leaders to immediately stop the forced return of refugees and asylum seekers to Afghanistan, citing serious human rights concerns and warning that such actions violate international law.

In a statement, the rights group said millions of Afghan refugees were unlawfully deported in 2025 from countries including Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Germany, despite the human rights situation inside Afghanistan. Amnesty said the returns have taken place amid intensified restrictions on fundamental freedoms, particularly affecting women and girls.

According to the organization, ongoing violations include limits on freedom of movement, bans on women working with the United Nations and non-governmental organizations, and the continued exclusion of girls above the age of 12 from education.

Amnesty International’s Regional Director for South Asia, Smriti Singh, said the forced deportations ignore the reasons Afghans fled their country in the first place. “This rush to forcibly return people to Afghanistan disregards the serious dangers they face if sent back,” she said, adding that such actions violate the binding international principle of non-refoulement.

Rights groups claim the human rights situation in Afghanistan has significantly deteriorated since the Islamic Emirate regained power in 2021, with restrictions on media freedom and women’s rights drawing widespread international concern. In October, the United Nations established an independent investigative mechanism to examine alleged international crimes and violations of international law in the country.

The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly rejected such allegations, stating that the rights of citizens are protected within the framework of Sharia law.

The United Nations has warned that ongoing restrictions on Afghan women working with the UN continue to undermine the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance across the country.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that 100 days after Afghan women staff were barred from accessing UN premises, the measures remain in place and are significantly obstructing aid operations.

In a statement, the office called on the authorities to immediately lift all such restrictions.

“Marking 100 days since Afghan women colleagues were prohibited from accessing UN premises, we call on the de facto authorities to lift all such restrictions so that critical support can reach everyone in need,” the statement said.

The UN stressed that systematic discrimination against women and girls is not in Afghanistan’s interest and must end without delay.

It warned that excluding women from humanitarian work has weakened the reach and effectiveness of aid delivery, particularly in communities where female staff are essential to accessing women, children and other vulnerable groups.

According to the UN, the absence of women humanitarian workers has reduced the ability of aid agencies to assess needs, deliver assistance and monitor programs effectively, at a time when millions of Afghans depend on humanitarian support.

Reiterating its position, the United Nations emphasized that the full participation of women in humanitarian activities is critical to addressing the country’s urgent needs and ensuring aid reaches all segments of the population.

The UN has repeatedly urged Afghan authorities to reverse policies restricting women’s participation in public life, warning that continued limitations risk deepening the humanitarian crisis and isolating Afghanistan further from the international community.