The Taliban Ministry of Commerce and Industry stated that an agreement was inked to purchase and import wheat, gas, and oil from Russia to Afghanistan.
According to Abdul Salam Jawad Akhundzada, a spokesman for the Taliban Ministry of Commerce and Industry, products including gasoline, diesel, gas, and wheat will be purchased at a “special discount” in Russian currency.
The Taliban Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, Nooruddin Azizi also told Reuters that the Taliban government was offered these items at a lower cost than the global market prices.
According to the agreement, Russia will supply a million tons of petrol, one million tons of diesel, 500,000 tons of liquefied gas, and two million tons of wheat to Afghanistan, said the Taliban official, Azizi.
The deal, he continued, will be put into effect for an unspecified trial period, following which, if both parties are content with it, they will sign a long-term contract.
While he stated that Russia had agreed to a discount on items supplied to Afghanistan, the Taliban official did not provide further information on the pricing and payment methods.
Afghanistan has been in an economic downturn ever since the Taliban took back control as a result of reduced development aid and sanctions that have largely frozen the financial sector.
The deal comes as a technical team from Afghanistan remained in Moscow, the Russian capital, after engaging in lengthy negotiations.
