Taliban Establish Investment Consortium With Iranian Firms

Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration has set up a consortium of companies, including some in Russia, Iran and Pakistan, to create an investment plan focusing on power, mining and infrastructure, the acting commerce minister said on Wednesday.
The consortium included 14 Afghan businessmen and Nooruddin Azizi’s ministry had signed a memorandum of understanding with the foreign companies who would send delegates to Kabul to look into projects worth up to $1 billion, Reuters reported.
Afghanistan's economy has been severely hampered since the Taliban took over in 2021, sparking the international community to cut most development funding and enforce sanctions on the banking sector.
A series of attacks waged by the Islamic State against foreign targets has also worried some investors.
Azizi said the administration was focused on launching several long-term business plans, including the consortium and special economic zones, and that it was working on ensuring security.
"Lots of discussions on security have taken place in Cabinet meetings also, commissions have been established and ... the hiding places [of militants] have been destroyed," he said.
"The Islamic Emirate will ensure security and support the private sector in the security field," he said, referring to the Taliban administration.
In addition to mining and power projects, the consortium was eying the possibility of building a second tunnel through the Salang Pass that connects Afghanistan's north to the rest of the country, and a project to divert water from northern Panjshir Province to the capital, in addition to rebuilding the main highway connecting Kabul to the western Herat Province.
The minister said the Taliban administration was planning to focus on building special economic zones it hoped would attract foreign investment.
His ministry has helped develop a plan to convert foreign bases into the zones, and a board was being set up with representatives of different ministries. He declined to elaborate, as the details are being finalized with other ministries and senior leadership.
“Shipments of oil, gas and wheat under a major deal with Russia last year had begun arriving in Afghanistan by road and rail through Central Asia,” he said, after the payments were made via banking channels despite sanctions that have limited many international payments.
He did not elaborate on which banks had facilitated the payment.

Tehran Hosted ‘Biggest Business Event’ Between Iran, Afghanistan 

The second Iran-Afghanistan Business Forum and Conference, touted as “the biggest business event held between the two neighboring countries” was held at Tehran’s Olympic Hotel on Feb. 6-7.
A total of 70 Afghan businessmen and representatives of as many Iranian companies attended the event.
The speakers of the conference were Hossein Salimi, the head of Iran-Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce; Abdul-Qayum Soleimani, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Iran; Alireza Yavari, the deputy head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture for international affairs; and Ahmad-Reza Allaie Tabatabaei, the deputy head of Trade Promotion Organization, the news portal of ICCIMA reported.
Speakers of specialized panels discussed Afghanistan's commodity and investment needs, investment opportunities in the country’s industry and mining sector, and ways to remove trade and investment barriers between Iran and Afghanistan.
“The Afghan government needs Iranian businessmen to implement many projects in Afghanistan. We hope that the Iranian government can prepare the ground for the cooperation and investment of Iranian businessmen in Afghanistan, although the Afghan government has special conditions for the cooperation of foreign investors, especially Iranians,” said Afghanistan’s ambassador to Iran, ILNA reported.
“Businessmen in Afghanistan have created special jobs and industrial towns with their own capital, and currently, industrial towns require the presence of foreign investors to be able to continue their operations,” Soleimani added.
Ali Chagharvand, the deputy head of ICCIMA, called for the establishment of “economic diplomacy” between the two countries to increase business relations with economic cooperation.
“Afghanistan has made a lot of investments in Iran and these relations should be targeted. For example, special attention should be paid to Chabahar Port, which has special economic significance, considering that goods can be transported between Iran and Afghanistan through this port in 12 hours.”
He noted that there are currently six unused border markets between Iran and Afghanistan.
One of the obstacles and problems in the development of bilateral relations is the lack of communication between the businessmen of the two countries, Sadeq Qannad-Zadeh, a TPO official, said.
“We are trying to reduce the political conflicts surrounding Chabahar and increase Afghanistan and Pakistan’s trade with Iran through this port.”
According to Ahmad Saeed Sadat, Afghanistan’s commercial consul to Iran, Afghanistan supplies 90% of its consumer goods from imports, most of which are imported from Iran.
“We can have cooperation with Iranian companies for investment. For example, Iran has good production capacity and technology in the field of industrial machinery production,” he said.

‘Best Opportunity’ to Invest in Afghan Mines

The Iranian ambassador in Kabul says the current situation is the best opportunity to invest in Afghanistan’s mining sector.
“Now is the best opportunity to invest in Afghanistan’s mines and we encourage Iranian investors to invest in Afghanistan,” Hassan Kazemi-Qomi was quoted as saying by Bakhtar News Agency recently.
Cooperation with Afghanistan in various sectors is on the agenda of his country as one of Iran’s main strategies, based on a humanitarian and moral-Islamic view and securing economic benefits, he added.
The envoy spoke about the importance of the steel industry in his country, added that there is no better country than Afghanistan in the field of mining for Iran.

“Afghanistan is a close country for Iran in terms of carrying out economic activities and transferring knowhow and technology, as there are good diplomatic ties between the two neighboring countries,” he said.
Kazemi-Qomi noted that currently, part of Iran’s essential goods needs are supplied through imports from distant countries such as Australia, Brazil, and Latin American countries, while Iran can utilize Afghanistan.