Russian Delegation Meets With Taliban  11/13 06:08

   

   KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A Russian delegation headed by Deputy Prime 
Minister Alexei Overchuk arrived Thursday in Kabul for trade and investment 
talks with Afghanistan's Taliban government, Afghan officials said.

   Russia officially recognized the Taliban government in July 2025. It remains 
the only country to have done so since the former insurgent group seized power 
in Afghanistan in August 2021 in the wake of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops 
from the country. Largely isolated from the international community and with a 
struggling economy, Kabul has been keen to increase foreign investment and open 
new trade avenues.

   After being greeted by an honor guard, Overchuk met with Prime Minister 
Mohammad Hasan Akhund and Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister for 
economic affairs.

   A statement from Akhund's office said the prime minister's meeting with 
Overchuk was also attended by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

   The Afghan government said in posts on its official X social media account 
that in their meeting, Baradar stressed Afghanistan's potential for economic 
development and investment, highlighting "its strategic location, rich 
resources and a large workforce of 24 million people of working age."

   During the meeting, Baradar invited Russian companies to invest in 
Afghanistan in sectors including mineral extraction, the development of 
factories, infrastructure and special economic zones. He also said there was 
scope to expand exports of Afghan agricultural products to Russia, and for 
Russian investment in Afghanistan's agriculture and livestock farming, the 
government said.

   The deputy prime minister also asked Russia "to provide the necessary 
facilities for Afghan products in Russian markets and to cooperate in reducing 
transportation and transit costs," the government statement said. It said that 
Baradar also spoke of investment opportunities in railway and road construction 
projects.

   Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Overchuk as saying that Russia intends 
to develop trade ties with Afghanistan.

   "Today our delegation includes more than 70 businessmen representing dozens 
of Russian companies, many of which already work in Afghanistan, (while) many 
want to begin working," Interfax quoted him as saying. "For our part, first of 
all, we see the task in creating conditions for contacts between business 
communities to develop normally."

   Overchuk said that companies represented in the delegation are involved in 
transportation, logistics, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. He said that the 
Afghan government is interested in Russian fertilizers, including in "building 
fertilizer production plants directly in Afghanistan."

   "We see a big interest from the government of Afghanistan in developing 
relations with Russia," Overchuk said, according to Interfax. "And we are ready 
to support Afghanistan in that. First and foremost, so that the economy 
develops, jobs are created, people have normal incomes and can live peacefully."

   While no country apart from Russia has offered formal recognition, the 
Taliban have engaged in high-level talks with many nations and established some 
diplomatic and economic ties with several countries, including the governments 
of China and the United Arab Emirates.

   The Afghan government statement on the meeting quoted Overchuk as saying 
that trade between Russia and Afghanistan had more than doubled in the first 
eight months of 2026, reaching more than $349 million.