Russia to lift tariffs on Afghan fresh, dried fruits

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment says Russia plans to remove customs tariffs on fresh and dried fruits from Afghanistan— a move expected to significantly boost trade between the two countries.

The announcement was made during a press conference in Kabul today (Tuesday), where the Chamber’s officials shared the achievements of their participation in the 16th Kazan International Economic Forum. The event was attended by a high-ranking delegation of the Islamic Emirate, led by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, with representatives from the Chamber also in attendance.

Younus Momand, First Deputy President of the Chamber, said: “Three days ago, we travelled to the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia, where we successfully signed the first official agreement between the Afghan and Russian Chambers of Commerce and Investment on trade and transit cooperation.”

He added that the agreement also covered cooperation in areas such as trade fairs, transit and mineral exploration.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.

According to Momand, the Afghan delegation invited Russian traders and investors to participate in the Imam Abu Hanifa Exhibition in Kabul.

In response, the Russian side committed to sharing a list of their business representatives.

He announced that during the visit, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia announced that customs duties on Afghan fresh and dried fruits would be reduced to zero.

Currently, annual trade between Afghanistan and Russia amounted to around 600 million US dollars, he said.

Momand also revealed that during the visit, approximately 25 contracts were signed by private companies, with an estimated value of hundreds of millions of dollars. Further details on these deals will be disclosed in due course.

Mirza Popal, deputy for finance and administration at the Chamber, said that five more agreements were signed with Russian companies for the development of an industrial park in Mazar-i-Sharif, as well as in the areas of transportation and other sectors.

He added that both Afghan and Russian Chambers reached agreements on mining, banking, logistics, and resolving visa issues, and the Russian side pledged full cooperation in these matters.

The 16th Kazan International Economic Forum was attended by senior officials from nearly 90 countries and representatives of around 20,000 companies.

kk/ma