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Afghan oil refinery consortium launched in Balkh province
This refinery will be built in four phases, over one to five years.
An oil refinery consortium, comprising five local companies, has been established in Balkh province with an investment so far of $87 million.
Speaking at a press conference in Balkh, consortium officials said that they had joined forces to ensure oil extracted in the country is refined locally, which in turn creates job opportunities.
“This refinery has been established with an investment of $400 million, of which $87 million has already been invested and the remaining $313 million will be invested,” said Abdul Rashid Salaar, technical officer for the consortium.
“This refinery will be built in four phases, over one to five years,” he added.
Consortium members have appealed to the Islamic Emirate to cooperate with them and to support the mining sector in the country.
One member said 1,100 tons of crude oil was extracted daily in Afghanistan but that the consortium would soon have the capacity to refine 4,300 tons a day.
“This consortium is for the self-sufficiency of the country in the oil and gas sector, and for job opportunities,” said another consortium member.
Growing foreign interest in the sector
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum last week reported that the country’s lucrative oil sector is generating growing interest from a number of countries in the region including Iran, Turkey, Russia and Uzbekistan.
According to officials, companies in these countries have shown serious interest in investing in the extraction and refinement processes.
The ministry has however called on Afghan investors to also take advantage of opportunities in the sector.
Afghanistan’s Crude Oil Refinery Union in turn urged the Islamic Emirate to support local investors in the extraction process but also by establishing refineries that meet international standards.
Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) officials meanwhile called on the ministry to also focus on increasing the operational capacity of established oil extraction companies and in building refineries instead of focusing on attracting foreign investors.
Muhammad Younus Mohmand, Vice-Chairman of the ACCI, said: “Our wish is that the refineries that people invest in, in Afghanistan, should be supported.”
According to union officials, over $300 million has already been invested in the sector in the country, providing jobs to thousands of workers.
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Ten people were killed by unknown individuals in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province on Thursday night, police said on Friday.
The incident happened as the victims were doing Zikr at a mosque in Shahr-e-Kuhna of Nahrin district, police said in a statement.
The statement said that they used to regularly go to mosques and monasteries at night after returning from work.
Abdul Ghayoor Khadim, a provincial police official, said that several people were arrested in connection with the incident, adding that an investigation was launched.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Serdar Muhammetdurdiyev on Thursday met with Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan announced.
During the meeting, the sides discussed priority vectors of strategic interstate cooperation built on a long-term, mutually beneficial basis, as well as exchanged views on the implementation of previously reached agreements.
It was noted that personal contacts between the leaders of the two countries play a key role in intensifying the interstate dialogue, which give a strong impulse to further development and expansion of Turkmen-Chinese ties.
It was emphasized that Turkmenistan considers multilateral international platforms for maintaining stability in Afghanistan as an important factor in promoting sustainable improvement of socio-economic state of the neighboring country. The sides exchanged views on the preparations to the 5th meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring States to be held in Turkmenistan.
The interlocutors reaffirmed that Turkmenistan and China will continue to provide all-round support for the economic restoration of Afghanistan.
The U.S. House Of Representatives has passed a legislation on evacuation of Afghans who assisted Americans during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
“The passage of the CARE Authorization Act of 2024 further underscores the commitment made by the U.S. government to safeguard those who served shoulder-to-shoulder with our personnel during the twenty-year mission in Afghanistan,” Congresswoman Dina Titus said in a statement.
“The State Department has made it clear: There is no deadline for the crucial job of protecting Afghan allies. By authorizing the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts at the State Department, we can more effectively relocate and resettle those who have qualified to immigrate to the U.S. as a result of their service to this country.”
In 2022 the State Department established a specialized office called the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) to streamline and coordinate the ongoing relocation and resettlement process for eligible Afghans from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the United States.
The CARE Authorization Act of 2024 will formally authorize the CARE office at the State Department for three years and grant important authorities to advance its mission. These include an extension of authorities to enter into personal services contracts as well as measures to streamline the transfer of funds to and from other agencies involved in the Afghan relocation mission.
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