Afghan and Russian businesses signed 15 trade agreements worth $103 million in Kabul on Thursday during a visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Afghanistan’s government said.
The memorandums of understanding cover imports of medicines, wheat, flour and cooking oil into Afghanistan, alongside exports of Afghan agricultural products, particularly pomegranates, to Russia.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Abdul Ghani Baradar, attended the signing ceremony, although no timetable for implementing the agreements was announced.
Overchuk arrived in Kabul accompanied by around 70 Russian business representatives, meeting Baradar and Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan at the Arg Palace.
Bilateral trade more than doubled in the first eight months of 2026 to over $349 million, Overchuk said. Russian imports from Afghanistan also rose by 2.2 per cent to $12.8 million.
He pledged Moscow’s support for rebuilding Afghanistan’s economy and creating jobs.
“It is important for us to play our part in rebuilding Afghanistan’s economy, which will also create employment opportunities.”
Baradar urged Russia to ease market access for Afghan goods and reduce transport costs. He also called for Russian investment in mining, manufacturing, special economic zones and major infrastructure projects, including a second Salang Tunnel.
Prime Minister Hassan welcomed Russia’s decision to recognise his government and expressed gratitude for Moscow’s support on the international stage.
“Your support will help create further opportunities for Afghanistan’s development.”
Russia became the first, and so far remains the only, country to formally recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban government in July 2025. Other countries have withheld recognition, citing concerns including restrictions on women and girls.
The Kabul visit follows talks in Moscow in October between Overchuk and Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, which focused on strengthening trade, energy cooperation and transport links.
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Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 11 November. Today, we cover Russia-Ukraine peace talks, political tensions in Washington, strikes in Spain, espionage allegations involving Nvidia's CEO, and climate negotiations at COP31 in Türkiye.
Four million workers across Spain joined a general strike on Wednesday over the country’s deepening housing crisis, unions said, bringing disruption to factories, ports, shops and public transport just weeks before a snap general election.
Iran has unveiled a new underground missile and drone base, warning that it will respond forcefully to any attack, as tensions persist with the U.S. and oil tankers continue to be struck by naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Rising demand for air cargo and expanding international aviation networks are opening up new trade opportunities for Central Asia and the South Caucasus, as countries invest in airports and strengthen their roles in global supply chains.
Kazakhstan’s security service has arrested Nurlan Zhakupov, CEO of Samruk-Kazyna, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, on suspicion of corruption. Yelzhas Otynshiyev, Chairman of KTZ, Kazakhstan’s national railway firm has also been detained.
An Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza has killed at least six people, including a surgeon, and wounded 20 others, according to Gaza’s civil defence service.
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Armenia has been stripped of its voting rights in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) over unpaid membership fees, in another sign of the deteriorating relationship between Yerevan and Moscow.
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