The National Procurement Commission on Saturday approved contracts for 27 projects totally worth approximately five billion afghanis.

According to a statement released by the office of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs who chaired the commission’s meeting, 47 projects were presented for approval.

Out of these, 27 projects were approved, eight projects were modified, four were canceled, and the contracts of eight projects were referred to designated committees for further negotiations with the winning companies.

The approved and modified projects include the reconstruction of Sultan Dam in Ghazni province, the construction of the 2nd Block Complex of Tahia-e-Maskan in Kabul city, the construction of appellate court buildings in Logar and Kandahar provinces, several internal roads in Kabul city, the procurement of necessary electrical equipment in various provinces, and several other projects funded by the Islamic Emirate.

Deputy Minister of Public Works for Railways, Mohammad Ishaq Sahibzadeh, on Saturday headed to Iran for talks.

Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas, the spokesman of the Ministry of Public Works, said in a statement that the visit takes place at the invitation of Iran’s railway authority and with the aim of expanding rail cooperation.

According to the statement, the two sides will discuss how to increase transportation through the Khaf-Herat railway and bilateral rail cooperation.

The leaders of Qatar and Turkey in a joint statement on Friday stressed the importance of respecting fundamental human rights and establishing an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

The statement was issued on the occasion of the 10th session of the Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee, which was held under the co-chairmanship of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday.

According to the statement, Qatar and Turkey reiterated their commitment to promote stability in Afghanistan.

They also highlighted the need for coordinated engagement with Afghanistan, as well as the continuation of humanitarian aid and sustainable development to its people.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has said that the current government in Afghanistan is inclusive and human rights are ensured in accordance with Sharia law.