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Afghanistan National Standards Authority delivers annual performance report

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Officials from Afghanistan National Standards Authority (ANSA) presented their annual performance report on Wednesday and said 805 standards affecting various sectors were ratified in the last solar year, 1402 (April 2023 to March 2024).

Officials said the standards set were related to cultural, economic, environmental, land, climate, and geographical domains. In addition, six codes were formulated in the fields of urban development, engineering, and the design of buildings, bridges, highways, and roads.

The Authority emphasized its successful collaboration with regional and international organizations, which led to the formulation of 105 standards, the finalization of 91 standards across various sectors, and the establishment of norms for 4,932 vehicles.

These efforts are among the most significant accomplishments of the authority in the past year, officials said.

Since the inception of the High Council of Standards, 24 standards have been ratified in areas including quality management systems, agricultural products, food, construction materials, petroleum products, textiles, leather, chemicals, and plastic derivatives.

According to the officials, over the past year, 3,787,415 tons of petroleum products, liquefied gas, and derivatives were imported through national ports, of which 128,811 tons were found to be non-compliant with established standards.

Similarly, 7,380,572 tons of construction materials were imported, with 152 tons identified as non-compliant.

ANSA is currently an active member of international organizations such as ISO, IEC, SMIIC, SARSO, and ECO RESCOM.

Over the past year, seven draft procedures and two regulations have been prepared to streamline the Authority’s operations, with finalization expected shortly.

Key priorities for the upcoming year include the formulation of 110 new standards across various sectors, strengthening coordination with international organizations in standard development, signing cooperation agreements with Turkmenistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan, issuing quality certificates, finalizing legislative drafts, monitoring the implementation of standards, and the completion of the Standard Law and Metrology Law.

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Two Afghan diplomats posted to Germany under former government resign

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Afghanistan's ambassador to Berlin, Yama Yari, who was appointed by the former government, has resigned from his post, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported on Monday.

Afghanistan's Consul-General in Bonn, Sayed Lutfullah Sadat, who was also appointed before the Islamic Emirate regained power, has also stepped down, the outlet said.

Sadat said in a statement that the reason for the decision was "political considerations and restrictions by the host country.”

In July, the Islamic Emirate announced that they no longer recognize Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions set up by the former Western-backed government and that they will not honor passports, visas and other documents issued by diplomats associated with the previous administration.

In a statement posted on X at the time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that documents issued by missions in London, Berlin, Belgium, Bonn, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Norway are no longer accepted and the ministry “bears no responsibility” for those documents.

The documents included passports, visa stickers, deeds and endorsements.

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China’s envoy says Beijing never interferes in Afghanistan’s internal affairs

Yue also announced that he is negotiating with the Islamic Emirate to provide humanitarian aid of 1 billion yuan ($138 million) from China.

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China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong has said his country not only refrains from interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs but also respects the country’s independence and territorial integrity.

In an interview with Beijing International Dialogue Center on Sunday, Yue said China is not seeking to establish a sphere of influence in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan should become a platform for cooperation among all parties instead of turning into a field for geopolitical competition,” he said.

Expressing concern over the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan and the need for an inclusive government, Yue said: “Before the U.S. presence, one or two terrorist groups were active in Afghanistan, but now there are more than 20 terrorist groups operating in the country.”

The Chinese envoy also addressed the situation of women and human rights, stating: “The issue of women is only a small part of Afghanistan’s problems and is not the root cause of its challenges. Furthermore, addressing poverty, hunger, and famine is essential to ensuring human rights.”

In the past three years, U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed concerns about China’s influence in Afghanistan. Similarly, Donald Trump, during his election campaigns, repeatedly claimed that the Bagram airbase had fallen into China’s hands.

Yue meanwhile also criticized Western countries for what he called "double standards" and said: "In order to ensure human rights, the issue of poverty, hunger and famine in Afghanistan must be addressed."

Yue also announced that he is negotiating with the Islamic Emirate to provide humanitarian aid of 1 billion yuan ($138 million) from China.

He said that part of this aid will go to Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan and Iran, so that an arrangement can be made for the return of migrants to their country.

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Saudi Arabia executed 101 people, including three Afghans this year 

The European-Saudi Human Rights Organization in Berlin condemned the executions and said this was three times higher then last year

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Saudi Arabia has executed 101 foreign nationals this year, including three Afghan citizens. 

AFP reported that 21 Pakistanis, 20 Yemenis, 14 Syrians, 10 Nigerians, nine Egyptians, eight Jordanians, seven Ethiopians, three Sudanese, three Indians, three Afghans and one Sri Lankan, one Eritrean and one Filipino. 

The European-Saudi Human Rights Organization in Berlin condemned the executions and said this was three times higher then last year. 

The organization’s legal director stated: “This is the largest number of foreign nationals executed in a single year. Saudi Arabia has never executed 100 foreign nationals in one year before.”

Amnesty International meanwhile stated that Saudi Arabia was the third highest country for the number of executions in 2023, after China and Iran.

 

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