Afghanistan’s ministry of foreign affairs has formally asked to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan next month.

In a written request, the ministry asked Moscow to allow the economic deputy prime minister of the Islamic Emirate, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, to attend the summit.

In 2001, the Goldman Sachs Investment Institute proposed a new alliance to forecast future economic trends.

At its 61st session of the UN General Assembly, in 2006, the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China started preliminary talks.

They called themselves BRIC and their first meeting was held on June 16, 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

When South Africa joined in 2010, the name of the alliance was changed to BRICS.

BRICS was designed to bring together the world's most important developing countries to challenge the political and economic power of the wealthier countries of North America and Western Europe.

This coalition has seen significant expansion in recent years and now includes Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

Before this, BRICS leaders (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) announced that Afghanistan should not threaten countries or become a training center for terrorists. Türkiye has also announced its readiness to join this economic alliance.

Officials from the Directorate of State-owned Corporations on Sunday outlined their achievements over the past year and said the Islamic Emirate has recognized the economic significance of these companies and has renewed focus on them.

According to the officials, state-owned corporations were originally established decades ago to foster agricultural and industrial development in Afghanistan, to combat monopolies, create employment opportunities, and strengthen the national economy.

However, due to four decades of war, these companies were largely neglected by previous governments and sustained considerable damage.

In accordance with a decree issued by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate, Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Directorate of State-owned Corporations was established to enhance, expand, and streamline operations.

Among the key achievements over the past year, the directorate successfully revitalized and re-equipped major state-owned corporations, including Afghan Poultry; Baghlan Sugar; Kandahar, Balkh, and Pul-e-Khumri Textile Mills; and Bost Corporation in Helmand.

Officials added that in collaboration with the World Bank, the implementation of the CASA-1000 project is expected to commence in the near future.

Over the past year, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) produced a total of 1,206,671 megawatts of electricity domestically and imported 5,672,796 megawatts from neighboring countries.

In addition, the construction of key energy infrastructure projects is underway, including the 500 kV transmission line from Sheberghan to Dasht-e-Alwan to Arghandi, the 220 kV line from Ghazni to Kandahar, the Noor al-Jihad substation in Herat, and a substation in Kandahar.

These projects are expected to be operational in the near future.

Officials reported significant progress on the Qosh Tepa Canal project, with the first phase reaching 91% completion and the second phase 54% complete.

Meanwhile, mining operations at the Balkhab coal mine have yielded 28,980 tons of coal to date.

Cement production has also been a notable achievement, with 199,671 tons of cement produced over the past year through the Ghori and Jabal al-Seraj cement plants.
Fiber optic infrastructure projects, covering approximately 1,500 kilometers, are ongoing, with 80% of the fiber optic network now upgraded to international standards.

Along with the establishment of the directorate, 85 gas distribution centers were opened in both Kabul and the provinces, playing a vital role in regulating gas prices in the market.

Over the past year, 198,614,287 cubic meters of gas were extracted, processed, and distributed to consumers.

Officials also noted that 36 million cubic meters of clean drinking water were supplied to the capital and provinces, while 39 water supply projects were completed, nine were designed, and 15 additional projects are in the planning stage.

The Nangarhar Agricultural Enterprise made significant contributions in the past year, producing 402 tons of olives, 41,125 liters of olive oil, 20 tons of dates, 907 tons of wheat, 10 tons of fish, 102,643 liters of milk, 2,874 soap bars, and 234,338 fruit-bearing and non-fruit-bearing saplings.

In the printing sector, the directorate designed and printed over 30 types of documents.

In addition, 90 tons of tomatoes were exported to Turkey, and the production of 4,430 tons of improved wheat seed, 13.7 tons of rice, 19.8 tons of maize and grains, 47,990 kilograms of industrial seeds, 3,400 kilograms of legumes, and 31,300 kilograms of vegetables was achieved.

Key activities over the past year also included the issuance and renewal of operational licenses for 503 tourism companies, 177 online service companies, and 47 guesthouses. In addition, modern machinery for stone processing, valued at 12 million afghanis, was purchased and installed, marking progress in the domestic paper production industry.

The directorate has also reinitiated the production and processing of precious and semi-precious stones, Babo garments and leather, and exported approximately 5,314 diverse products to international markets. The directorate played a key role in organizing 27 domestic and international exhibitions to support Afghanistan’s handicraft industries and conducted vocational workshops for local artisans.

These accomplishments reflect the commitment of the newly established directorate to drive economic development and strengthen key industries across Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sunday Abdul Ghaffar Bahr, the newly-appointed ambassador of the Islamic Emirate, has arrived in Uzbekistan to take up the reins of the Tashkent embassy.

According to experts, Bahr will help implement projects recently agreed to between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

The ministry announced Wednesday Bahr’s appointment to the post.

Experts say this appointment is testimony to the new developments in Afghanistan's diplomacy and the expansion of relations with neighbors, especially Uzbekistan.

They also say that political relations between Kabul and Tashkent are inevitable given the major projects the two countries are working on.

Five commercial and economic contracts worth more than $2 billion  were signed in Kabul recently between the two countries.

Last year, Uzbekistan handed over the Afghan embassy in Tashkent to the Islamic Emirate, which has been headed by Mughfurullah Shahab since then.