Russia, Taliban Call for Unfreezing of Afghanistan Assets

DID Press: Zamir Kabulov has said that both Russia and the Taliban are calling for the release of Afghanistan’s frozen assets, but no progress is expected in the near future due to the lack of engagement from the United States and European countries.

In an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia, Kabulov stated that Moscow and the Taliban authorities continue to insist on the unfreezing of Afghan financial reserves, but the issue remains deadlocked.

He said the United States and European states have not engaged in any meaningful dialogue on the matter and are responsible for the current impasse, as the assets were originally frozen by Western governments.

Kabulov added that Russia and members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation have repeatedly raised the issue in regional meetings, but without any concrete results.

The United States previously transferred around $3.5 billion of Afghanistan’s central bank reserves to a Swiss-based “Afghan Fund,” designed to support economic stability while preventing Taliban access to the funds. The fund is overseen by representatives from the US, Switzerland, and two former Afghan officials.

The remaining $3.5 billion is still under legal dispute, partly due to lawsuits filed by families of victims of the 9/11 attacks, who allege links between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in the 2001 attacks in New York.