Taliban envoy says efforts under way to expand Afghan products in Russian market
Gul Hassan, the Taliban administration’s ambassador in Moscow, says the two sides are working to create conditions for a broader presence of Afghan products in the Russian market and to make it easier for Afghan traders to obtain visas. He added that there are many opportunities for cooperation between the two sides that have not yet been fully realised.
Gul Hassan raised the issue at the ninth International Forum, “The North Caucasus: A Space for Dialogue, Traditions and Development.” According to him, the North Caucasus could help Russian consumers gain wider access to Afghan products and create opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
Russia is the only country that has recognised the Taliban administration. Previously, Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, acting defence minister of the Taliban administration, signed a military-technical cooperation agreement with Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, on June 6. Under the agreement, Moscow will restore military equipment left over from the Soviet era that is in the Taliban administration’s possession.
Zamir Kabulov, the Russian president’s special envoy for Afghanistan, had also previously spoken of Moscow’s desire to expand ties with the Taliban administration. However, regional security, bilateral trade, and banking and visa challenges are seen as obstacles to the expansion of relations between the two sides, particularly in the economic sphere.
