Afghanistan asks Russia for help in rebuilding country
2 Min Read
At the "Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum", Afghan Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi says Kabul would like Moscow to "participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and contribute to this process."
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People stand near damaged homes after heavy flooding in Baghlan province, in northern Afghanistan, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP)
Afghanistan's acting commerce and industry minister told Sputnik on the sidelines of an international economic forum in Russia’s Kazan that his government wishes Russia's help in rebuilding the country.
At the "Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum", Haji Nooruddin Azizi said, "We would like Russia to participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and contribute to this process".
The International Economic Forum of Russia and the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (IOC) "Russia — Islamic World: KazanForum" is being conducted in Kazan, the capital of the Muslim-majority Russian region of Tatarstan, from May 14-19.
Azizi added that Afghanistan has increased its imports of Russian oil products despite facing some restrictions in 2023, and that Kabul is hopeful that these restrictions could be lifted.
"We had agreements [with Russia]. We launched a program to purchase more oil. The private sector has also become more active. After that, oil supplies to Afghanistan started. Unfortunately, last year, Russia limited its oil exports to Afghanistan".
Azizi mentioned that Kabul would like Moscow to lift the restrictions, as Afghanistan requires approximately 4 million tonnes of oil and oil products annually, even though some of these needs are met through imports from Iran and Turkmenistan.
The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, after the US-led military force withdrew from the country.
Read next: Russia doubles gas exports to Afghanistan
In the 20 years during which the NATO-led coalition invaded Afghanistan, the Southern-Central Asian country has suffered tremendous destruction at unprecedented levels, leaving it crippled by an excruciating economic crisis and sporadic terror attacks spearheaded by ISIS-K.
The war-torn nation has sought to recover from the damage by forging alliances with global powers, including China and Russia.
Since then, trade between Russia and Afghanistan has markedly surged in recent years, rising from $170 million in 2022 to over $1 billion presently.
