Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs under the Taliban, has called for the removal of international financial and banking sanctions imposed on Afghanistan, claiming they are not in the interest of the country, the region, or the wider world.
Speaking at a conference aimed at attracting investment and supporting Afghanistan’s energy sector, Baradar emphasized that the country has the potential to be economically self-sufficient and a regional energy exporter due to its vast reserves of raw materials.
He argued that investment opportunities in Afghanistan are abundant and that the country is rich in natural resources that could lead to sustainable electricity production and even exports to neighboring nations.
The meeting was attended by the energy ministers of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, along with diplomats from various embassies in Kabul.
According to Taliban officials, representatives from the United Nations, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and private sector stakeholders—both domestic and international—as well as NGO leaders, also participated.
Observers note that international sanctions have placed the Taliban in a state of severe financial strain, which has led to the downsizing of its administrative structure.
