Business
Afghan Fund trustee Mehrabi to attend DAB meeting
The Supreme Council of Da Afghanistan Bank will hold a two-day meeting in Kabul, and Shah Mohammad Mehrabi, a board member of the Swiss-based trust fund, is expected to attend the meeting.
Afghan central bank officials say the meeting is set to kick off within the next two days, and aims to resolve banking issues.
Afghanistan’s frozen assets are expected to be discussed in the meeting.
“It (Mehrabi’s participation) would mean empowering Afghanistan authorities. It would also suggest semi-recognition. I think it will be a very good visit, because he has lobbied a lot… a direct relation will be established between the US and Afghanistan authorities,” said Sayed Massoud, an economic expert.
“Unless Afghanistan’s assets are handed over to Da Afghanistan Bank, we cannot call it good news. The money they have kept in the fund is for non-monetary purposes which is never acceptable to Afghanistan. It would affect the value of Afghani currency and the economic condition,” said Lal Zazai, an economic expert.
The meeting comes two weeks after the board of the Swiss-based trust fund managing $3.5 billion in frozen assets held its first meeting.
Anwar-ul-haq Ahadi, one of the board members, in an interview with Ariana News, recently suggested that the assets could also be used to provide liquidity to the banking system in Afghanistan.
“We want to reach an understanding in this regard with the central bank and the finance ministry,” Ahadi said.
Business
Iran’s non-oil exports to Afghanistan rise by 31% this solar year
Iran’s imports from Afghanistan also rose sharply, totalling over $33 million, a 192% increase in this period
Iran's non-oil exports to Afghanistan surged by 31% in the first half of this solar year (April to September 2024), totalling over $1.77 billion.
According to Iran’s trade association in Afghanistan, both the value and volume of non-oil exports to Afghanistan saw substantial growth.
Statistics provided by the association indicate that nearly 560,000 tons of Iranian goods, including iron, steel, cement, eggs, and potatoes, were exported to Afghanistan during this period.
Iran’s imports from Afghanistan also rose sharply, totalling over $33 million, a 192% increase in this period.
The primary exports to Iran included barley, corn, peanuts, and chilies.
Business
Private sectors of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan sign contracts worth $100 million
Private sectors of Afghanistan and Kazakhstan have signed contracts worth $100 million during the visit of an Afghan delegation to Almaty recently, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) announced on Thursday.
The agreements include the export of more than 2,000 tons of dried fruit, the export of fresh fruit, including pomegranates, and the export of cotton, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said on X.
Mujahid said that the Islamic Emirate delegation during its recent visit to Kazakhstan signed a "road map of cooperation between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan in the fields of trade, industry, mining, energy, logistics, agriculture, telecommunications, health, higher education and humanitarian aid.”
He said Kazakhstan also assured that it would provide more facilities for the transit of Afghan goods to China and other countries through Kazakhstan.
The allocation of an area "as a logistics center for Afghan goods" in the port of Khargos was also part of the agreement between the two sides to facilitate the unloading and loading of Afghan traders' goods.
The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate also said that Kazakhstan will participate in the construction of the Torghundi-Herat, Kandahar-Spin Boldak and Mazar-e-Sharif-Kharlachi railway projects.
Mujahid added that Kazakhstan will also participate in the establishment of a trade and transit center in Herat province, which will be used to store and finance trade and transit goods. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has agreed to establish permanent expo centers for the sale of Afghan goods in various cities of Kazakhstan.
It is worth mentioning that the delegation of the Islamic Emirate led by Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, participated in the three-day exhibition of Afghanistan's domestic products, which was launched on October 21 in Almaty.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce recently announced that 23 tons of pomegranates from Kandahar province were exported to Almaty through the port of Torghundi.
Business
China resumes direct rail trade with Afghanistan
China resumed its direct freight rail services to Afghanistan on Thursday when a train loaded with goods left Nantong city in Jiangsu province.
The train, carrying commercial goods in 55 wagons, is heading for the northern Hairatan border in Balkh province, Yue Xiaoyong, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Special Representative for Afghanistan, said in a post on X.
Nantong is a central hub of the Belt and Road Initiative and is located north of Shanghai.
The resumption of the rail line was marked at a formal ceremony on Thursday with Yue and Bilal Karimi, the Afghan Ambassador to China, in attendance.
This comes after China recently announced plans to lift customs tariffs on Afghan exports to China by the end of this year, further strengthening trade ties between the two nations.
-
Business5 days ago
China resumes direct rail trade with Afghanistan
-
Regional5 days ago
Lebanon, Israel could agree to ceasefire within days, Lebanese prime minister says
-
Latest News4 days ago
OIC special envoy meets with Pakistani officials for talks on Afghanistan
-
Business4 days ago
Private sectors of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan sign contracts worth $100 million
-
Sport4 days ago
Rashid Khan retained by Gujrat Titans ahead of IPL 2025 auction
-
Regional4 days ago
Iran preparing strike on Israel from Iraqi territory within days, Axios reports
-
Latest News4 days ago
DAB plans to set up electronic payments in Afghanistan
-
Regional4 days ago
Seven killed, dozens injured in blast in Pakistan’s Balochistan province