Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Aziz left for Türkiye late Tuesday to participate in the opening program of the annual Halal Expo International Trade Exhibition, the ministry said in a statement.

The exhibition is the world’s largest “halal organization,” and the goal for 2024 is to attract over 500 procurement professionals from across the globe. It is scheduled to be held from November 27 to 30 in Istanbul.

Azizi will give a speech at the opening event and participate in other programs on the sidelines of the expo.

More than 30 members of the private sector are accompanying Aziz to the expo and Afghan products, services and goods, including carpets, precious and semi-precious stones, dried fruits and banking services will be displayed in eight booths.

The annual expo is held under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye, and is organized by various Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) institutions.

In 2023, the Halal Expo Exhibition brought together 314 companies from 45 different countries, including 220 from abroad.

With a total of 23,351 visitors last year, including 7,375 international guests from 82 countries, the event also hosted various high-profile international officials.

Organizers are however anticipating around 40,000 visitors this year, including 10,000 from abroad.

The event aims to facilitate increased participation of companies in the halal sector through B2B agreements.

Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's special representative and ambassador to Kabul, has discussed bilateral relations and regional developments in a farewell meeting with the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate Amir Khan Muttaqi, the ministry’s spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal said.

Takal on Tuesday said in a post on X that Muttaqi appreciated Qomi's efforts during his mission.

Muttaqi stated IEA’s foreign ministry is ready to work with the new ambassador of Iran on expanding bilateral relations.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that the UN’s latest report on media restrictions was not objective and rejected its findings.

UN in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated in its report that after reviewing the media situation from August 15, 2021 to September 30, 2024, there had been 336 cases of violations of human rights of journalists and media workers in the country, including 256 arrests and ill-treatment and 75 instances of threats and intimidation.

UNAMA said in its report that media and journalists face many challenges, including lack of access to information, and severe restrictions in doing their work.

The ministry also said the report is in contradiction with the efforts of the Islamic Emirate to support the media.