Russia, Afghanistan have room for cooperation: Envoy

KABUL (Khaama Press): There is room for cooperation between Russia and Afghanistan; however, there is still uncertainty over the priorities of the Afghan government and local businesses, said Dmitry Zhirnov, Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan.
Zhirnov stated while interviewing with Rossiya 24 TV Channel, “There is room for cooperation; the question is what are the priorities of the Afghan side itself, what are the authorities and Afghan business ready to invest in in the first place,” TASS News Agency reported.
The envoy also insisted that cooperation between the countries “should be mutually beneficial and projects should be profitable.” “Our business is still testing those Islamic financial principles that the officials of the de facto government in Afghanistan are introducing,” the ambassador said.
He also recalled numerous agreements and projects that Russia and Afghanistan have signed, such as an agreement for the construction of a thermal power plant in northern Afghanistan, the readiness of Russian pipe manufacturers to join the construction of the Afghan section of the Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI), and Russia’s eagerness to participate in the renovations of the Salang tunnel, which cannot cope with the increased traffic flow.
Earlier this week, Russia hosted the 5th Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan in which representatives from India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were invited to the Meeting to discuss various Afghanistan-related topics, including security and humanitarian crisis.
The fifth round of the Moscow Format Meeting comes as Afghanistan’s security situation is quickly deteriorating and has already forced the closure of several foreign embassies in Kabul.