Kazan: The Taliban’s Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Alexey Overchuk, have signed five bilateral agreements aimed at strengthening economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Russia.
According to the Taliban government’s Economic Office, the agreements were signed during the Afghanistan-Russia Business Forum, held on the sidelines of the 16th International Economic Forum in Kazan. These agreements involve the Afghan Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation and the Russian Ministry of Transport, focusing on transportation and transit cooperation.
Additional agreements were signed between the chambers of commerce of both countries to enhance trade levels, and with major private companies on oil and gas exploration, extraction, and processing in Afghanistan. Another agreement involves the development of a regional trade and industrial-logistics complex.
Afghanistan’s state-run news agency reported that these deals mark the conclusion of the inaugural Afghanistan-Russia Business Forum.
Mullah Baradar, who inaugurated the forum alongside Overchuk, emphasized the Taliban-led government’s focus on reconstruction and economic revitalization, citing the launch of various large and small-scale projects. He expressed hopes that these initiatives will enhance Afghanistan’s exports to regional and distant markets.
He further identified Russia as a key market for Afghan products and called for the creation of favorable trade conditions. He also announced the Taliban government’s readiness to construct a second Salang Tunnel to boost trade and transit links with Russia and Central Asia, and requested Russian support for the project.
Deputy Prime Minister Overchuk reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to a stable and prosperous Afghanistan, which he described as beneficial for the entire region. He stated that Russian companies are prepared to cooperate with Afghanistan on projects involving mining, dam construction, electricity generation, railway expansion, vehicle production, regional connectivity, and trade enhancement.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan also expressed interest in joint automotive manufacturing projects and stated that Tatarstan is ready to sign an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with Afghanistan.
Earlier, the Bakhtar agency had reported that Mullah Baradar also met with Artyom Zdunov, the President of the Republic of Mordovia, during the same event in Kazan.
In recent years, the Taliban government has steadily expanded its political and economic ties with Russia. On April 17, Russia’s Supreme Court removed the Taliban from its list of banned terrorist organizations, a designation it had held since 2003.
As the Taliban remain unrecognized by any country due to international concerns—especially regarding human rights violations and the denial of women’s rights to education and work—they see Russia and the Central Asian republics as vital economic gateways amid ongoing Western sanctions and international isolation. These sanctions have further contributed to Afghanistan’s struggling economy.
