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Date: Monday, 13th July, 2026
During a joint business-to-business (B2B) meeting, Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth AFN 440 million were signed between traders and investors from Afghanistan, Russia's Dagestan and Tyumen regions, and Kazakhstan.
A joint trade delegation from Russia's Dagestan and Tyumen regions and Kazakhstan, which arrived in Kabul on Saturday, met with a number of Afghan traders and investors at the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) on Monday, where the MoUs were signed.
The B2B meeting was held in the conference hall of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment and was attended by Mr. Abdul Nafi Barakzai, Deputy Chairman for Support of Domestic Production and Products; Mr. Obaidullah Hotak, Member of the Board of Directors; Mr. Zainullah Hassany, Deputy Chairman for Finance and Administration and Acting Chief Executive Officer; Mr. Ahmad Shakeel Hazim, Deputy CEO for Policy and Technical Affairs; and a number of Afghan traders and investors. Representing the visiting trade delegation were the Head of Exports of Russia's Dagestan Republic, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Tyumen Chamber of Commerce and Industry, along with several Russian and Kazakh traders and investors engaged in food commodities (edible oil, tea, and grains), construction materials, and metals.
Welcoming the delegation, Mr. Abdul Nafi Barakzai described such meetings as highly effective in expanding trade, promoting investment, and introducing new business opportunities. He emphasized that close cooperation between governments and the private sector is essential for fostering the economic growth of participating countries.
Mr. Alekseevich, Vice Chairman of the Tyumen Chamber of Commerce and Industry, expressed his appreciation for the warm hospitality extended by the leadership and staff of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment and described the outcomes of the visit as highly successful. He invited Afghan traders to visit Russia and pledged to facilitate meetings between them and Russian business representatives. He noted that such engagements would not only increase Russian exports to Afghanistan but also create greater opportunities for Afghan exports to the Russian market. According to him, today's meeting will one day be remembered as the beginning of a historic economic partnership.
At the beginning of the B2B session, Afghan, Russian, and Kazakh traders and investors held direct discussions, exchanged views, and explored their respective business needs, capacities, and commercial opportunities.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth AFN 446.62 million were signed between traders and investors from Afghanistan and Russia's Dagestan Republic in the fields of construction materials, pharmaceuticals, food commodities, and agricultural services.

Sunday, 12 July 2026
Mr. Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), has donated USD 20,000 from his personal funds toward the construction of the Hazrat Umar Farooq (RA) Grand Mosque in Kandahar Province.
The donation will be utilized to support various stages of the construction of the newly built mosque.
The Hazrat Umar Farooq (RA) Grand Mosque is being constructed on an area of 8,000 square meters and will have the capacity to accommodate approximately 14,000 worshippers.
Contributing to the construction of mosques and facilitating places of worship for Muslims is regarded as a righteous deed and a form of ongoing charity (Sadaqah Jariyah).

Monday, 13th July, 2026
At the request of Afghanistan's dry fruit traders, Mr. Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), met with a group of traders on Sunday evening at the Chamber's main office.
During the meeting, Mr. Hashemi described the ACCI as the common home of all Afghan traders, emphasizing that the Chamber is responsible for serving both large and small traders and investors. He noted that the Chamber's doors are open to everyone, from major business leaders to small shopkeepers.
The ACCI Chairman described the country's nationwide security as a significant blessing for traders and investors. He assured participants that, in accordance with the decree of the leadership of the Islamic Emirate, all necessary trade facilitation measures have been provided to support the business community. He stressed that these efforts are intended to promote trade and investment in Afghanistan while contributing to the country's economic development and serving its people.
Mr. Hashemi highlighted dry fruits as one of Afghanistan's most valuable export commodities and emphasized the importance of close cooperation between producers and exporters to expand production and increase exports. He also requested the dry fruit traders to nominate three representatives, from whom one individual would be selected, in accordance with the Chamber's procedures, to serve as the representative of the dry fruit sector on the ACCI Board of Directors.
Subsequently, Mr. Haji Abdul Wali, Mr. Barakzai, and several other dry fruit traders presented updates on recent progress in the production, processing, and packaging of dry fruits. They stated that in recent months, significant quantities of high-quality dry fruits, packaged in accordance with international standards, have been exported to foreign markets.
The traders also shared their concerns regarding visa-related challenges, travel restrictions to certain countries, and the financial and commercial transaction difficulties faced between Afghan traders and international buyers. They discussed these issues in detail with the Chairman and Deputy Chairmen of the Chamber.
The meeting was also attended by Mr. Enayatullah Sediqzai, Deputy Chairman for Services; Mr. Mujib Rahman Shirzad, Deputy Chairman for Strategic Relations; and members of the Board of Directors, including Mr. Sakhi Ahmad Noorzad, Mr. Najabat Haidari, Mr. Hamidullah Habibi, Mr. Zabihullah Samim, and Mr. Matiullah Gardezi.

Sunday, 12 July 2026
Mr. Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), together with the Chamber's leadership, met with a joint trade delegation from the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan at the ACCI main office.
The visiting delegation included Arsen Gamzatov, Head of Dagestan Export Center (Russia); Vladimir Alekseevich, Deputy Chairman of the Tyumen Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Russia); Alexander Andreyevich, Head of the Tyumen Trade House; Artem Valeryevich, Director of the Tyumen Trade House; Abdulnaser Abukravich, a construction materials trader; Sattar Dmitry, a Kazakh trader in tea and vegetable oil; Samekov Durkan, a Kazakh food products trader; and Azamat Sigdenov, a Kazakh grain trader.
Representing the ACCI leadership were Mr. Mujib Rahman Shirzad, Deputy Chairman for Strategic Relations; Mr. Abdul Nafi Barakzai, Deputy Chairman for Support of Domestic Production and Products; and Board Members Mr. Hamidullah Habibi, Mr. Najabat Haidari, Mr. Yahya Pashtoon, Mr. Sakhi Ahmad Nourzai, and Mr. Khalid Majid.
Welcoming the delegation, Mr. Hashemi highlighted Afghanistan's vast economic opportunities and investment potential, particularly its abundant mineral resources, including copper, iron, gold, chromite, precious stones, and significant reserves of rare earth elements. He invited Russian and Kazakh companies to invest not only in mineral extraction but also in establishing mineral processing plants and steel manufacturing facilities in Afghanistan.
The ACCI Chairman emphasized that expanding bilateral trade should be the first priority. He called for increasing trade volume, reducing trade barriers, facilitating business visas, organizing business-to-business (B2B) meetings, and strengthening direct cooperation between companies in the three countries.
Mr. Hashemi stated that Afghanistan is ready to expand exports of high-quality products including fresh and dried fruits, saffron, pine nuts, medicinal herbs, carpets, and precious stones to the Russian and Kazakh markets. He also expressed Afghanistan's interest in increasing imports of petroleum products, grains, vegetable oil, food products, industrial machinery, construction equipment, steel, chemical fertilizers, technology, and raw materials from Russia and Kazakhstan.
He further proposed the signing of cooperation agreements between the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment and the chambers of commerce of Russia, Dagestan, and Kazakhstan to promote regular collaboration in information exchange, capacity building, investment promotion, and the exchange of trade delegations.
During the meeting, Mr. Arsen Gamzatov and other Russian trade and investment representatives stated that the presentation delivered by the ACCI Chairman and the information provided about Afghanistan had significantly increased their interest in investing in the country.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Mr. Vladimir Alekseevich noted that more than one hundred Russian businessmen and investors have expressed interest in visiting Afghanistan to meet with Afghan entrepreneurs and explore opportunities for expanding large-scale commercial cooperation.
Mr. Alekseevich added that the delegation had closely studied Afghanistan's progress over the past five years. He remarked that the country's commercial growth and infrastructure development following years of conflict and crisis have attracted the attention of Russian investors, who are also interested in applying similar reconstruction experiences in conflict-affected regions of their own country.
The meeting reflected the strong commitment of Afghanistan, the Russian Federation, and Kazakhstan to strengthening trade and economic cooperation. Given the significant opportunities available, expanded collaboration between the three countries is expected to contribute to Afghanistan's sustainable economic development and long-term growth.

Monday, 13th July, 2026
At a session hosted by the Government Media and Information Center, Mr. Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), attended on behalf of the country's private sector and expressed his support and appreciation for the issuance of the tax relief decree, emphasizing its importance in improving the business environment.
The meeting was attended by senior government officials, including Mr. Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Administrative Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Mullah Mohammad Nasir Akhund, Minister of Finance; Mr. Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Commerce; Sheikh-ul-Hadith Noor-ul-Haq Anwar, Head of the General Directorate of Administrative Affairs; Mr. Mufti Abdul Mateen Saeed, Deputy Minister for Revenue and Customs; Mr. Ahmad Nabi Zada, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines; as well as a number of traders, investors, and industrialists. The gathering served as an important platform for dialogue and cooperation between the government and the private sector.
In his remarks, Mr. Hanafi highlighted the strategic priorities of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in supporting the private sector and encouraging investment. He stressed that such support would contribute significantly to sustainable economic growth, strengthen the country's economic infrastructure, and reinforce cooperation between the government and the private sector.
During the session, the Minister of Finance introduced 13 categories of tax exemptions and incentives approved by the government to facilitate trade and improve the tax environment. These measures are intended to stimulate production, attract domestic and foreign investment, create employment opportunities, and enhance the competitiveness of Afghanistan's business sector.
Welcoming the decree on reducing income taxes, Mr. Sayed Karim Hashemi emphasized the importance of continuing structural reforms and introducing additional business facilitation measures. He noted that consulting private sector representatives before making major economic decisions would ensure that government policies better reflect market realities and lead to more effective outcomes, while also strengthening transparency and economic governance.
Mr. Hashemi also highlighted the responsibilities of the private sector, stressing that alongside government support, traders and investors have an important duty to conduct their activities based on ethical principles, integrity, and compliance with the law. He emphasized the timely payment of taxes and called on businesses to refrain from hoarding goods or imposing unjustified price increases, describing these principles as essential for building a healthy and sustainable economy.
The Chairman of ACCI further reaffirmed the private sector's readiness to play an active and constructive role in shaping economic policies, providing professional recommendations, and identifying practical solutions to the challenges facing businesses. The meeting reflected the shared commitment of both the government and the private sector to advancing Afghanistan's economic development through stronger cooperation, improved economic infrastructure, and enhanced opportunities for sustainable growth.