Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, says the Taliban have kept trade separate from political issues and continue to maintain relations with regional and international countries through economic diplomacy.
Speaking at a ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the new Gulbahar Cement production plant in Herat province, Baradar said the establishment of manufacturing plants is important for meeting domestic needs, increasing exports, boosting national revenues and promoting economic growth.
He described the construction of the Gulbahar Cement plant as an important step toward Afghanistan’s self-sufficiency, saying that once the plant becomes operational, the country’s reliance on imported cement will decrease.
He added that Afghanistan is rich in natural resources and that the Taliban are seeking to strengthen the country’s economic infrastructure by making use of available resources and opportunities.
According to Baradar, the Taliban view Afghanistan’s geographic location as an important opportunity for expanding economic and trade relations. He claimed that Afghanistan’s borders have been transformed into hubs for commercial activity and that the level of border-related threats has been reduced to zero.
The Taliban official said tax reductions, exemptions and other incentives have been introduced to support investors. He added that efforts are also being made to reduce the impact of financial and banking restrictions and find solutions to existing challenges.
Baradar said: “Afghans are one nation. They share each other’s pain, sorrow and happiness, and no one here is separate from another.”
He claimed that the Afghan people have learned from past experiences and that the Taliban are able, on the one hand, to maintain the country’s current security situation, while on the other hand, the Afghan people themselves do not allow “troublemaking groups” to operate on Afghan soil.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
