In Afghanistan, Taliban Foreign Min discusses energy & trade with Uzbekistan counterpart

The Taliban government on Thursday met Uzbekistan officials in order to discuss issues related to energy and trade, TOLO News reported. According to the local media report, the meeting was held in the national capital, Kabul, where Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov. Notably, 80% of the country's power consumption has been supported by its neighbouring countries like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and therefore the meeting was considered crucial for the smooth supply of electricity.

"Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov on Thursday in Kabul, foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said, adding that they discussed transit, energy and trade," Tolo News reported in a tweet.

According to local media reports, the meeting was held as the war-torn country planned to sell the properties of its debtors in a bid to pay nearly $62 million worth of power charges to the central Asian countries. As per the reports of Khaama Press Newsagency, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS)— Afghanistan's state power authority—  has planned to sell the residences of previous administrators and lawmakers who did not clear the charges of electricity and consumed a large volume of power. Apart from the Uzbek minister visit, deputy prime ministers Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abdul Salam Hanafi on October 5, Tuesday met the UK prime minister's special envoy, Simon Gass, TOLO news reported.

According to the joint statement released by both the nations, Islamic Emirate wants good relations with the world’s countries, and they would not allow anyone to threaten any country from Afghanistan. According to the statement, Hanafi and Baradar said the Islamic Emirate would promote provisions for global humanitarian organisations to deliver aid to helpless Afghans.
Meanwhile, in a reply, Gass reiterated that the United Kingdom always wanted to have good relations with the Islamic Emirate.

Sigh of relief for lakhs of Afghan nationals

It is pertinent to mention that a series of incidents unfolded after the Taliban captured the national capital, Kabul, on 15 August, including a bomb attack. Since the Taliban's conquest, lakhs of desperate Afghan nationals have fled the war-torn country and taken asylum in different countries. Lakhs of people are still waiting for their turn to reach other countries. However, on Tuesday, a sign of good news came as a relief for lakhs of Afghan nationals willing to either flee from the country after the Taliban government has resumed the issuance of national identity cards and passports. It also allowed female employees to work in the passport department. 

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: ANI)