Russia and Afghanistan have room for cooperation, says Moscow’s envoy

Russia and Afghanistan have room for cooperation but the priorities of Afghanistan’s authorities and local businesses are still in question, Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov has said.

“There is room for cooperation, the question is what are the priorities of the Afghan side itself, what are the authorities and Afghan business ready to invest in in the first place,” Zhirnov said on Rossiya 24 TV channel, TASS news agency reported.

According to the diplomat, cooperation between the countries “should be mutually beneficial, and projects should be profitable.”

“Our business is still testing those Islamic financial norms that the Talibs (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan officials) are introducing,” the ambassador said.

Zhirnov recalled that Russia and Afghanistan signed an agreement on the construction of a thermal power plant in northern Afghanistan. Russian pipe manufacturers are ready to join the construction of the Afghan section of the gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India. It is possible that Russia will participate in the upgrade of the Salang tunnel, which cannot cope with the increased traffic flow, he said.