Taliban, Tatarstan Agree to Establish Joint Trade Center in Kazan

DID Press: Gul Hassan Hassan, Taliban government’s ambassador in Moscow, held official talks in Kazan with senior officials of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan on expanding economic cooperation, investment, and the establishment of a joint Afghanistan–Tatarstan trade center.

According to the Taliban Embassy in Moscow, Hassan traveled to Kazan at the official invitation of Tatarstan and met with Alek Korotchenko, the republic’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed expanding economic ties, the participation of Tatarstan-based companies in investment projects in Afghanistan, and mechanisms to create shared commercial opportunities.

The ambassador also emphasized the creation of a joint trade center and the organization of dedicated trade exhibitions between Afghanistan and Kazan, describing the initiative as a practical route to facilitate faster and lower-cost access for Afghan products to the Russian market.

The visit comes amid an uptick in economic engagement between Kabul and Moscow in recent months. At the Kabul–Moscow joint trade forum held in September, the two sides signed five agreements covering joint investment, customs facilitation, the establishment of industrial parks, and transit cooperation—deals analysts view as marking a new phase in Afghanistan–Russia economic relations.