Afghanistan Expands Oil Cooperation with Azerbaijan’s SOCAR

Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Norms and Standards has announced that Mullah Faizullah Tamim, the head of the directorate, during a visit to Azerbaijan, held talks with officials from the state-owned company SOCAR about expanding bilateral cooperation in the oil and petroleum products sector.

According to the directorate’s newsletter, the Afghan delegation visited SOCAR’s oil refineries and a chemical fertilizer plant during the trip. The purpose of these visits was to gain close familiarity with the production processes and product quality.

The newsletter stated that SOCAR officials committed to increasing exports of high-quality petroleum products to Afghanistan and to expanding cooperation levels in this sector.

Afghanistan sources a significant portion of its oil needs from abroad, and the quality and standards of these products have always been a concern for citizens and the private sector. However, the Taliban administration has not yet disclosed details regarding the quality control mechanisms or how these commitments will be implemented.