Hidayatullah Badri, the Minister of Mines and Petroleum of the Afghan caretaker government, held a highly important, official diplomatic meeting with Mirdaf bin Ali Al-Qashouti, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Kabul, where they discussed various dimensions of political, commercial, and economic relations between the two nations in extensive detail.
Kabul 24: According to an official, detailed report released by the press office of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, this meeting focused on meticulously evaluating foreign investment opportunities, developing core infrastructure, and examining practical solutions to increase bilateral cooperation in utilizing Afghanistan’s rich underground resources.
During these intensive negotiations, both parties evaluated Afghanistan’s potential and actual capacities in extraction, processing, and optimal management of natural reserves, emphasizing the necessity of strengthening economic foundations and trade interactions between Kabul and Doha.
The main, strategic, and key focus of these talks was the thorough evaluation of investment opportunities for Qatari companies and businessmen in major oil and gas extraction projects, as well as analyzing operational strategies for constructing, equipping, and launching a modern, advanced, and standard refinery for processing crude oil within the country.
High-ranking officials from both sides stated during the meeting that establishing such a standard refining center inside Afghanistan could serve as a highly vital, long-term, and strategic step toward reducing the country’s reliance on imported fuel and petroleum products from neighboring regions, developing key infrastructure, achieving sustainable self-sufficiency in energy supply, and creating vast new employment opportunities for the local workforce, experts, youth, and technical specialists.
Continuing this official meeting, Hidayatullah Badri expressed deep gratitude and great satisfaction regarding the interest and willingness of the Qatari government to actively, extensively, and directly participate in the aforementioned projects, assuring the full and comprehensive readiness of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum to provide all necessary facilities.
He explicitly emphasized that the ministry is committed to providing suitable administrative, legal, and executive frameworks, ensuring complete transparency in legal procedures, facilitating and accelerating the issuance of extraction and refinery construction permits, and delivering direct technical and operational support.
This will further smooth the inflow of Qatari capital, expertise, and advanced technologies into Afghanistan’s oil, gas, and mining sectors while extending continuous, complete, and all-around backing to all joint economic endeavors and collaborative initiatives.
