Taliban signs deal with Russia to import oil products, gas, wheat
Africa
THE Taliban signed a provisional deal with Russia for an annual supply of petrol, diesel and wheat to Afghanistan.
The ministry of industry and commerce said on Wednesday that the agreement included the annual purchase of one million tonnes of petrol, one million tonnes of diesel, half a million tonnes of cooking gas and two million tonnes of wheat.
Akhundzada Jawad, the spokesman of the ministry said the import process was expected to “start soon.”
The Taliban said they would pay Russia in roubles.
The Taliban’s acting minister of industry and commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, who visited Russia last month, said that Moscow had offered the Taliban a discount on average global commodity prices.
Moscow had not commented on the agreement yet. If confirmed, this would be the first major international trade deal for the Taliban since retaking power last year.
With an estimated population of around 40 million, the war-torn nation that was hugely dependent on donations from the international community is suffering from an unprecedented increase in poverty.
The country remained isolated from the West due to the Taliban’s draconian policies against women, human rights issues, and their refusal to form a representative government.
Afghanistan is also disconnected from the global banking system.
No country, including Russia, had recognised the hardline regime.
However, Russia was among a handful of countries that had kept its embassy in Kabul open. (dpa/NAN)
C.E
Related Posts
Navy confiscates 8.1m barrels of stolen crude, apprehend 120 badges in 4 years – Official
THE Nigerian Navy confiscated more than 8.1 million barrels of stolen crude oil and 86,500 MT of illegally refined AGO...
Read MoreECOWAS and The Gambia – Preventing Another Dangerous Slide
By Paul Ejime EIGHT years after ECOWAS led the international community by deploying enormous human and material resources to free...
Read MoreDemography, Technology, Africa’s greatest assets in new world order – El Ayanoui
By Anthony Isibor KARIM El Ayanoui, Executive President, Policy Center for the New South Rabat, Morocco, says that African countries...
Read MoreMost Read
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Keep abreast of news and other developments from our website.