Afghanistan’s Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs attended the international closing ceremony of this year’s Hajj season at the invitation of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and held meetings with Hajj ministers and officials from several countries.

In a statement posted on X on Saturday, the ministry said the ceremony was held in the holy city of Mecca to mark the successful conclusion of this year’s Hajj operations.

According to the statement, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah commended the efforts and effective management of Hajj missions from various countries, including Afghanistan.

The statement added that Al-Rabiah announced the start of preparations for next year’s Hajj season and provided representatives of participating countries with preliminary planning documents and a timetable for the upcoming pilgrimage.

Afghanistan’s Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, Noor Mohammad Saqib, thanked the Saudi government, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, and service providers for the facilities and services extended to pilgrims.

On the sidelines of the event, Saqib also met with several Hajj ministers and officials from other countries, exchanging views and information on matters of mutual interest and developments in their respective countries, the statement said.

A delegation from Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical sector has signed a $5 million agreement with five major Uzbek pharmaceutical companies to import medicines from Uzbekistan, officials said.

The 35-member delegation from Balkh province signed the agreements during a visit to Tashkent aimed at expanding pharmaceutical trade between the two countries.

Officials at the Balkh Chamber of Commerce and Investment said the deal could help meet up to 25 percent of Afghanistan’s medicine demand through imports from Uzbekistan.

Mohammad Sadiq Mohammadi, head of the pharmaceutical union in Balkh, said contracts worth nearly $5 million had been finalized with Uzbek companies for the supply of medicines to Afghanistan.

The Balkh Chamber of Commerce and Investment also described Uzbek medicines as affordable for Afghan traders and said the agreements could help address a significant portion of the country’s pharmaceutical needs.

Economic analysts said medicines produced in Uzbekistan are considered high-quality and reasonably priced, while also emphasizing the importance of strengthening domestic pharmaceutical production in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan continues to rely heavily on imported medicines, and reduced trade with Pakistan has increased the country’s dependence on pharmaceutical imports from alternative markets.

Officials of the Islamic Emirate say that despite recent tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, regional economic projects have not been negatively affected and implementation efforts continue as planned.

The spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that work on all major projects linking Central and South Asia is continuing in an organized manner. He stressed that IEA remains committed to implementing and completing regional economic development projects.

According to Mujahid, although recent tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have somewhat affected political and economic relations between the two countries, projects such as TAPI, TAP, CASA-1000, and the Trans-Afghan railway project are still progressing and could play an important role in the region’s economic development.

“The TAPI project is under implementation inside Afghanistan, the work is progressing normally and has even accelerated. The TAP project and some other projects are in the survey phase, their assessments have been completed, and there are no obstacles facing them. We are trying to ensure that major projects move forward normally,” Mujahid said.

Members of the private sector also stated that the implementation and coordination of major regional projects in Afghanistan are progressing well. They called on other partner countries involved in the projects to increase cooperation in order to speed up implementation and create greater economic momentum in the region.

Zabihullah Nazari, a member of the Chamber of Industries and Mines, said accelerating major regional economic projects could help build trust among neighboring and regional countries while also creating tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

Economic analysts say the Islamic Emirate has so far fulfilled its role in advancing these regional projects in line with international principles, which could help attract global investment to the region. However, they added that some partner countries, due to what they described as incorrect policies, continue to create obstacles and delays in the implementation process.

According to the analysts, if all partners in projects such as TAPI, TAP, CASA-1000, and the Trans-Afghan project begin implementation sincerely and practically, it could pave the way for major economic initiatives and positive economic movement across the region, including Afghanistan.