Russia sends major business delegation to Kabul for business talks with the Taliban

Russian deputy prime minister Alexei Overchuk was welcomed by a guard of honour when he arrived in Kabul on Thursday with a delegation of 70 Russian business people to conduct business talks with the Taliban government, Afghan officials said.Overchuk met Taliban prime minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the deputy prime minister for economic affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar as well as foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.According to a statement by the Afghan government published on X, Abdul Ghani Baradar described to the Russians Afghanistan's potential for economic development and investment, pointing to "strategic location, abundant resources and a workforce of 24 million people".Abdul Ghani Baradar invited Russian companies to invest in agriculture, mining, constructions of roads, railways and factories, and to create a special economic zone in Afghanistan, while expressing his wish to expand exports of Afghan agricultural products to Russia.The deputy prime minister also asked Russia to "provide the necessary facilities for Afghan products to be supplied to Russian markets and to cooperate in reducing transport and transit costs".A Russian news agency quoted Alexei Overchuk as saying that the Russian delegation represent companies that are already operating in Afghanistan and that "many others want to start operating in this country."Overchuk said that the companies represented in the delegation work in the fields of transport, logistics, agriculture and pharmaceuticals and that the…