Taliban: Kabul Ready for Economic Cooperation With Washington

DID Press: Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has said Kabul would welcome U.S. investment in Afghanistan’s mining, infrastructure, agriculture and trade sectors, signalling that the Taliban authorities are seeking to expand economic engagement with United States.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Muttaqi said relations between Afghanistan and the United States should not be judged solely through the lens of the two decades of war, but should instead focus on future cooperation.

The Taliban-led administration hopes that greater economic and diplomatic engagement could eventually help ease international pressure, secure relief from sanctions imposed on Taliban officials and facilitate access to Afghan assets held abroad.

Afghanistan’s foreign reserves were estimated at around $9.5 billion, with approximately $7 billion historically held in the United States, according to U.S. congressional information. The structure and status of those assets have since changed, including funds transferred to the Afghan Fund.

Muttaqi said Afghanistan’s assets should not be used as a tool of political pressure.

However, closer economic engagement between the Taliban authorities and Washington faces significant obstacles, including sanctions, political disputes and continuing international concerns over the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

The Taliban has also pursued mining and economic agreements with countries including China and Iran and is now seeking to encourage greater U.S. participation in Afghanistan’s economy.