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20261012 050000 UTC
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[00:00:30] at the trade meeting between the Chambers of Commerce and Investment of
[00:00:33] Afghanistan, Central Asia and India, which was held
[00:00:37] last night in Kabul. In this meeting, 22 memorandums of understanding worth
[00:00:41] more than $400 million were signed.
[00:00:44] An event that can pave the way for the expansion of trade,
[00:00:48] attracting investment, and
[00:00:51] strengthening regional economic cooperation. This is while
[00:00:55] the private sector of Afghanistan and Iran also signed 28
[00:00:58] memorandums of understanding
[00:01:01] worth $4,518
[00:01:05] billion yesterday. Several questions arise: How much can the
[00:01:08] signing of trade memorandums worth more than $400 million
[00:01:11] between Afghanistan and regional countries
[00:01:15] help increase exports, attract investment,
[00:01:18] and promote the growth of Afghanistan's domestic products? And
[00:01:22] finally, considering the signing of
[00:01:24] similar memorandums between the private sectors of Afghanistan,
[00:01:28] Iran, and Central Asian countries,
[00:01:33] what measures are necessary to move
[00:01:34] these memorandums from the stage of
[00:01:37] commitments to practical projects and tangible
[00:01:40] economic results, at least for Afghanistan? We will discuss all these issues
[00:01:44] here in the program. Fortunately, we are joined here in the studio by
[00:01:46] Mr. Haji Najibullah Siddiqi, an expert on
[00:01:50] economic issues, who is present here
[00:01:53] in the studio. Mr. Siddiqi, welcome and thank you for your efforts. Well, you
[00:01:57] heard the introduction. A large volume of investment and memorandums of understanding were signed
[00:02:01] with the Central Asian countries, especially with India,
[00:02:04] and a few days ago with Iran, worth
[00:02:08] $4,518 billion.
[00:02:12] With Iran, do you think this volume of large
[00:02:16] investments will be significant for both sides, especially for Afghanistan?
[00:02:38] In Afghanistan, we are witnessing at this exhibition of
[00:02:42] domestic products, trade, and
[00:02:45] infrastructure, and
[00:02:48] the products that we have in Afghanistan, that
[00:02:52] most of our neighboring countries and surrounding countries of
[00:02:55] Afghanistan have all,
[00:02:59] the majority of them, participated in this exhibition.
[00:03:02] The good news is that
[00:03:04] today we are witnessing
[00:03:07] that the guests we have from neighboring countries,
[00:03:11] the traders we have from neighboring countries, when we have
[00:03:14] meetings with them within the framework of the exhibition,
[00:03:18] they always say the same thing,
[00:03:21] that there is very good security in
[00:03:24] Afghanistan, a very good working environment has been created
[00:03:28] in Afghanistan. We can make huge investments with
[00:03:32] you in Afghanistan, and we can use the good experiences
[00:03:35] we had in our countries. We can use those
[00:03:39] good experiences for the benefit and progress
[00:03:42] of Afghanistan. You can use them. We are
[00:03:46] ready to stand shoulder
[00:03:48] to shoulder with you as brothers
[00:03:52] and invest in Afghanistan. This is very good news that
[00:03:56] today, the Islamic
[00:03:58] Emirate of Afghanistan has gained
[00:04:01] the trust and confidence of neighboring countries, and
[00:04:05] we are optimistic that the traders
[00:04:09] and industrialists who participated in this exhibition
[00:04:13] are really
[00:04:16] very interested in investing in
[00:04:19] the mining sector of Afghanistan, in
[00:04:23] the transport sector of Afghanistan, in
[00:04:26] the energy sector in Afghanistan. Therefore,
[00:04:30] we witnessed that 28
[00:04:33] memorandums of understanding were signed with Iran and
[00:04:36] other countries,
[00:04:40] worth approximately $450 million,
[00:04:42] and 22 memorandums of understanding,
[00:04:46] worth $400 million, were signed with
[00:04:49] India and Central Asian countries.
[00:04:53] Look, this was during the first days of
[00:04:56] the exhibition. Yes, we are still not satisfied.
[00:05:00] We still hope and wish
[00:05:04] that by the end of the exhibition,
[00:05:07] our protocols and contracts will increase. That's right, because
[00:05:11] it's practical for countries
[00:05:42] to invest. Look, such protocols,
[00:05:45] such contracts, such exhibitions, first of
[00:05:49] all, we showed our neighboring countries
[00:05:52] that currently there is security in Afghanistan.
[00:05:56] Currently, the working environment is favorable in Afghanistan.
[00:05:59] Currently, the investment environment is favorable in Afghanistan.
[00:06:03] This is for them.
[00:06:06] In the exhibitions where traders, industrialists,
[00:06:10] Mr. Minister, Mr. Azizi, participated,
[00:06:13] we are building good, close, commercial,
[00:06:17] and economic relations with neighboring countries.
[00:06:20] That is why they came to the exhibition today,
[00:06:24] participated here, and signed the memorandums of
[00:06:27] understanding. Because they understood that there is security in Afghanistan,
[00:06:31] the working environment is favorable, and the investment environment
[00:06:34] is favorable. I will mention one thing in my
[00:06:37] speeches always. Look, the people
[00:06:40] of Afghanistan
[00:06:43] have spent 40 to 50 years enduring problems of insecurity, problems
[00:06:47] of war. From
[00:06:48] countries that did not want
[00:06:52] Afghanistan to reach the peaks of economic self-sufficiency,
[00:06:56] to become industrial, to find its political
[00:06:59] place, the people of Afghanistan, the government
[00:07:03] of Afghanistan, they sowed
[00:07:06] discord in Afghanistan, and we are witnessing the
[00:07:09] fruit of 50 years of problems, war, and insecurity.
[00:07:18] They should take it to their dreams and graves with
[00:07:21] them. Today, the day has come when the people of
[00:07:24] Afghanistan, the nation of Afghanistan, along
[00:07:28] with the government of Afghanistan, have all declared a national
[00:07:31] mobilization. Today, we have established security
[00:07:35] in Afghanistan, free from war and problems. Today,
[00:07:38] everyone has again declared a struggle: we want
[00:07:42] to work and struggle for economic self-sufficiency
[00:07:46] to make our position known to neighboring
[00:07:50] countries, that if the people of Afghanistan suffered
[00:07:53] from war problems for 50 years, today
[00:07:56] they are free. Today is the day
[00:08:00] that we must extract the hidden treasures that
[00:08:03] the people of Afghanistan possess. Unlike neighboring countries,
[00:08:07] every Afghan citizen is not indebted for
[00:08:10] millions of dollars from international
[00:08:19] banks. Every Afghan citizen, look, the
[00:08:23] mines that are in our possession, those hidden treasures
[00:08:26] that have remained untouched for these 50 years,
[00:08:30] are at the disposal of the people of Afghanistan. Today is
[00:08:33] the day we must extract those treasures, industrialize
[00:08:37] them in our factories, process them, and
[00:08:40] use them for the benefit of the people of
[00:08:44] Afghanistan, for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. So that
[00:08:48] we also have the right to live in an environment
[00:08:52] full of economic prosperity, to live in an environment of
[00:08:55] security. We will not allow any
[00:08:58] country, any ill-wisher of
[00:09:02] the people of Afghanistan, to cause problems in
[00:09:05] Afghanistan, whether politically or economically.
[00:09:09] Yes, yes, Haji Sahib, you said in the
[00:09:12] introduction that the reason for the increased interest of
[00:09:15] Central Asian countries, and also most neighboring
[00:09:19] countries, in their active presence in Afghanistan in terms of
[00:09:22] investment and economic needs, you said that one
[00:09:25] is that the conditions for the presence of countries
[00:09:29] in Afghanistan have been provided within the last five years,
[00:09:32] and also you said that security has increased
[00:09:36] compared to previous years, which has attracted more
[00:09:40] interest from countries and increased their trust. Do you
[00:09:43] think that the economic-oriented policy of the Islamic Emirate
[00:09:47] in the last five years has been effective in
[00:09:50] attracting countries and their presence in Afghanistan?
[00:09:54] Look, we appreciate the economic-oriented policy of
[00:09:56] the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They have
[00:10:00] indeed adopted an economic-oriented policy. I emphasize
[00:10:03] again that today, the era of war and problems
[00:10:07] in Afghanistan has passed. Today, we must
[00:10:11] fight for the economic peaks of
[00:10:14] Afghanistan. Today, we must fight for the
[00:10:18] progress of Afghanistan. Today, we must
[00:10:21] fight for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Therefore,
[00:10:25] the policy that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan had
[00:10:28] adopted, especially Mr. Minister of Industry
[00:10:32] and Commerce, Mr. Azizi, we are witnessing
[00:10:35] how much effort they have made in these four
[00:10:38] or five years, how many industrial
[00:10:42] and commercial relations they have
[00:10:45] established with neighboring
[00:10:47] countries of Afghanistan,
[00:10:50] how many visits and meetings they had with
[00:10:53] neighboring countries so that we could
[00:10:56] witness its fruit today at the fifth
[00:11:00] Abu Hanifa exhibition.
[00:11:03] We actually see it.
[00:11:06] God willing, we will witness in the next
[00:11:10] five or ten years that the industry
[00:11:13] of Afghanistan will become 100% self-sufficient. Yes,
[00:11:16] and we will be able to have at
[00:11:20] least 50% exports to neighboring countries, even
[00:11:24] if not 100% exports.
[00:11:27] At least that balance of exports should be guaranteed, and we should be able to
[00:11:30] provide employment opportunities for our countrymen and brothers
[00:11:34] who are perishing in the seas
[00:11:37] and deserts. We should create job opportunities for them
[00:11:41] in Afghanistan, give them work in our
[00:11:45] factories. This will happen when the
[00:11:48] nation of Afghanistan, along
[00:11:51] with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, supports
[00:11:55] the industry of Afghanistan and uses domestic
[00:11:58] products. Look,
[00:12:02] domestic production, industry, is the backbone and spine of
[00:12:06] a country. We are witnessing in neighboring countries
[00:12:10] that we travel to and see that if they have good
[00:12:13] cars, planes, tanks,
[00:12:16] and weapons, it is made by
[00:12:19] an industrialist, it is made by
[00:12:22] a factory. Therefore,
[00:12:25] if we want to have a good economy,
[00:12:28] to have a good economic
[00:12:32] policy, we must support the industry
[00:12:35] of Afghanistan, and the challenges and problems
[00:12:39] facing the Afghan industrialist must
[00:12:42] be removed. The Afghan industrialist
[00:12:45] should no longer have the problem that we
[00:12:48] don't have standard electricity. It's true that
[00:12:52] for 50 years we endured war problems and insecurity.
[00:12:55] We didn't have a good electricity infrastructure. If
[00:12:59] 20% of the electricity is domestic, and 30%
[00:13:02] is imported from neighboring countries, we have
[00:13:06] managed with this electricity, and we
[00:13:09] have been able to show the world and neighboring countries
[00:13:12] that we have some industrial
[00:13:15] development with the 20% electricity available
[00:13:19] to Afghan industrialists. If Afghanistan's electricity
[00:13:22] is available 24 hours
[00:13:25] a day. If the 20% electricity that
[00:13:29] is available to the Afghan industrialist
[00:13:32] reaches 100%, we promise that
[00:13:36] Afghanistan's industry will become self-sufficient in
[00:13:39] every sector, and in every sector,
[00:13:43] we will be able to export to neighboring countries,
[00:13:47] and we promise our countrymen that we
[00:13:50] will provide employment opportunities in our companies and
[00:13:54] factories. And we will no longer witness
[00:13:57] our brothers and countrymen drowning in the
[00:14:00] seas, and we will witness inviting engineers,
[00:14:04] mechanics, and staff from neighboring
[00:14:08] countries to cooperate with us in
[00:14:12] Afghanistan. Again, I say that the people
[00:14:15] of Afghanistan are not poor. The people of
[00:14:18] Afghanistan were not poor. Those countries that sowed
[00:14:22] discord in Afghanistan should
[00:14:25] listen with open ears and
[00:14:28] clear eyes. They should be deaf
[00:14:31] to the possibility of insecurity problems arising
[00:14:35] in Afghanistan, or economic problems
[00:14:39] hindering their progress. Because we
[00:14:42] are rich. We again point out that unlike
[00:14:46] other countries, our countrymen are not indebted
[00:14:49] for millions of dollars from international countries. We
[00:14:53] have treasures that are emerging on the streets today.
[00:14:57] Today, our Badakhshan gold is flowing into the plains.
[00:15:00] Today, we must roll up our sleeves, extract our
[00:15:04] mines, extract our gold, extract
[00:15:08] our emeralds, extract our copper, extract
[00:15:12] everything and industrialize it for the
[00:15:15] benefit of the people of Afghanistan and consume
[00:15:18] it so that the people of Afghanistan can
[00:15:22] live in comfort and peace in a good
[00:15:25] economy. This memorandum of understanding with neighboring countries,
[00:15:29] especially Central Asian countries, and also India and recently
[00:15:33] Iran, which I mentioned earlier, this memorandum of understanding represents
[00:15:37] a large volume of investment in Afghanistan, and
[00:15:40] if it is implemented, the main discussion is that
[00:15:43] we are fully prepared for its implementation because
[00:15:47] we often see that such memorandums of understanding signed
[00:15:51] with countries, especially Central Asian countries, have not
[00:15:54] seen practical steps and have been weak. Where do you
[00:15:58] think the reason lies, and is it expected that
[00:16:01] practical steps will actually be taken for this
[00:16:04] large volume of investment in Afghanistan? Look, we
[00:16:08] must be optimistic. We must have
[00:16:12] high hopes. We are a country, Afghanistan is
[00:16:15] a country that has endured 40 to 50 years of
[00:16:19] war problems. Today, we are newly and freshly
[00:16:23] striving for the peaks of industrial self-sufficiency,
[00:16:27] for the peaks of agricultural self-sufficiency, for
[00:16:30] the peaks of construction in Afghanistan. Therefore,
[00:16:34] some challenges and problems arise.
[00:17:03] Every company that has signed a contract for any project will hopefully be followed up, and they will start their work as soon as possible.
[00:17:07] شروع.
[00:17:34] You witnessed today that the Wakhan Road, which connects Afghanistan
[00:17:37] to China, connects it to
[00:17:40] a developed country. Look, we witnessed that today
[00:17:44] the Wakhan Road was inaugurated a few days
[00:17:47] ago by the leaders of the
[00:17:50] Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Look,
[00:17:53] how many provinces located along this route
[00:17:56] have had their working environment facilitated, and
[00:18:00] their business environment facilitated. Afghanistan was connected
[00:18:03] to a transit road. Afghanistan became a
[00:18:07] country that at least itself is considered
[00:18:10] the first or second power in the world.
[00:18:13] So we can benefit from such projects,
[00:18:17] from such contracts, like the 500 kV
[00:18:20] project, like the Wakhan Road, like the
[00:18:23] transit railway line.
[00:18:26] The Islamic Republic of Iran, like
[00:18:30] the majority of the TAPI project,
[00:18:33] is a big project. Each of these projects
[00:18:38] is a vital project for the people of
[00:18:41] Afghanistan. Each project has its place for
[00:18:44] the economic development of Afghanistan. Each of these
[00:18:48] projects provides employment opportunities for the people
[00:18:51] of Afghanistan. Each of these projects will bring
[00:18:55] revenue, transit, and transport fees, and
[00:18:58] transit fees to the people of Afghanistan.
[00:19:02] Therefore, if the economic-oriented policy of
[00:19:05] the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan continues in this
[00:19:09] way, as we have seen in the last
[00:19:13] five or four years in the
[00:19:17] transport, industrial, and commercial sectors, and if
[00:19:21] they pay more attention to the industry of
[00:19:24] Afghanistan, we will witness in the next
[00:19:28] five or ten years that Afghanistan will
[00:19:31] become an economic Afghanistan, an Afghanistan
[00:19:35] that will provide employment opportunities for all the
[00:19:38] people of Afghanistan inside Afghanistan, and we will
[00:19:41] invite workers and laborers from neighboring countries to
[00:19:45] cooperate with us in Afghanistan. Why am
[00:19:49] I saying this with such confidence? Look, I emphasize
[00:19:53] again that we suffered from war for 50
[00:19:56] years. Neighboring countries reached the peak of self-sufficiency
[00:19:59] in 50 years. We had insecurity problems
[00:20:03] in Afghanistan. Our neighboring countries gained access to
[00:20:06] nuclear power. So today, the day has come when
[00:20:10] security has been established in every corner of
[00:20:13] Afghanistan. Today, we must extract those treasures,
[00:20:16] those mines that are at the disposal
[00:20:19] of the people of Afghanistan, with our foreign
[00:20:21] partners, with advanced machinery. We must
[00:20:25] bring them to our factories, industrialize them,
[00:20:28] process them, package them to international standards,
[00:20:32] present them to the world, and use the money and
[00:20:35] benefits from them for the reconstruction of Afghanistan,
[00:20:38] for building dams in Afghanistan, for
[00:20:41] providing energy in Afghanistan, so that
[00:20:45] we can also be a country
[00:20:48] that has something to say in terms of
[00:20:51] economy in the world or among neighboring countries.
[00:20:55] Yes, Siddiq Sahib, regarding the technical discussion, you
[00:20:59] mentioned earlier that the Chambers of Commerce
[00:21:02] and Investment of Afghanistan, and also the Ministry
[00:21:05] of Industry and Commerce, have monitoring teams and
[00:21:08] whatever is needed for these memorandums of understanding
[00:21:12] signed with neighboring countries. The practical part is one
[00:21:15] thing, and the guarantees in signing contracts and memorandums of understanding
[00:21:22] are another. You are actually on the scene.
[00:21:25] What kind of guarantees do you think should be
[00:21:29] in place to compel the other party to
[00:21:32] implement such memorandums of understanding? Look,
[00:21:36] I will answer your question very clearly.
[00:21:39] These memorandums of understanding were not signed
[00:21:43] under duress, but at the request of
[00:21:46] those countries that are interested and optimistic,
[00:21:54] and understand that there is a benefit in these contracts. They tried very hard, paid costs, came,
[00:21:56] for example, transported to Afghanistan, participated
[00:22:00] in the exhibition, lost their
[00:22:03] time to be able to get such contracts.
[00:22:06] Therefore, they will not easily give
[00:22:09] up such contracts that they have signed
[00:22:12] and obtained, because these contracts
[00:22:16] are for their benefit. Considering what you mentioned,
[00:22:20] it is necessary to have at least one guarantee
[00:22:24] for greater credibility. Look, the guarantees of the
[00:22:27] contract, the guarantees, and the protocols
[00:22:31] that are within the international strategic framework,
[00:22:34] the memorandums of understanding that are signed between
[00:22:38] two countries, the guarantees of the ambassadors or
[00:22:41] the embassies that are in Afghanistan or in
[00:22:45] the countries where they are signed, all
[00:22:48] of them are in
[00:23:12] Afghanistan, Afghan industrialists, Afghan people, our
[00:23:15] foreign traders who have invested in foreign
[00:23:19] countries. Look, Mr. Azizi, let's give an example.
[00:23:23] Look, how many tall buildings and skyscrapers
[00:23:26] have they built in the Emirates? They are
[00:23:30] all interested in investing in Afghanistan.
[00:23:33] Today, everyone has come to the idea
[00:23:36] of investing in Afghanistan. No country
[00:23:40] becomes one's own country. No homeland becomes one's own
[00:23:44] homeland. So all traders
[00:23:47] and industrialists understand with open ears
[00:23:50] that Afghanistan, the people
[00:23:53] of Afghanistan, have a right over our
[00:23:56] traders, over our industrialists, to invest
[00:24:00] in Afghanistan to create