Afghan’s Taliban signs deal for Russian gas, oil, wheat
The agreement is the first international economic deal sealed by the Taliban
The Taliban signed a provisional deal with Russia to supply gasoline, diesel, gas and wheat to Afghanistan, a report revealed on Wednesday.
The acting Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters that Moscow offered the Taliban administration that took over Afghanistan over a year ago a discount to average global commodity prices.
He added that the deal would see Russia supplying nearly one million tonnes of gasoline (1.10 million US tons), one million tonnes of diesel (1.10 million US tons), 500,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (551,000 US tons) and two million tonnes of wheat (2.20 million US tons) annually.
The goods will be delivered to Afghanistan by road and railway. It is, however, unclear how the payments will be transferred as Russia is facing unprecedented international sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.
The agreement is the first international economic deal sealed by the Taliban, which is not formally recognized by other countries accusing the militant group of human rights violations. Moscow also doesn’t officially recognize the Taliban but has already hosted its leaders several times.
According to Azizi, the deal would run for an unspecified trial period. If it goes well, Kabul and Moscow are expected to sign a longer term agreement.