*The Taliban have signed a provisional deal with Russia to supply gasoline,diesel, gas and wheat to Afghanistan, Acting Afghan Commerce and IndustryMinister Haji Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters.*
Azizi said his ministry was working to diversify its trading partners andthat Russia had offered the Taliban administration a discount to averageglobal commodity prices.
The move, the first known major international economic deal struck by theTaliban since they returned to power more than a year ago, could help toease the Islamist movement’s isolation that has effectively cut it off fromthe global banking system.
Western diplomats have said the group needs to change its course on humanrights, particularly those of women, and prove it has cut ties withinternational militant groups in order to gain formal recognition.
Russia does not officially recognise the Taliban’s government, but Moscowhosted leaders of the movement in the run-up to the fall of Kabul and itsembassy is one of only a handful to remain open in the Afghan capital.
Azizi said the deal would involve Russia supplying around one milliontonnes of gasoline, one million tonnes of diesel, 500,000 tonnes ofliquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and two million tonnes of wheat annually.
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Russia’s energy and agriculture ministries did not immediately respond torequests for comment on the agreement. The office of Russian Deputy PrimeMinister Alexander Novak, who is in charge of oil and gas, also did notimmediately respond.
Azizi said the agreement would run for an unspecified trial period, afterwhich both sides were expected to sign a longer term deal if they werecontent with the arrangement.
He declined to give details on pricing or payment methods, but said Russiahad agreed to a discount to global markets on goods that would be deliveredto Afghanistan by road and rail.
The deal was finalised after an Afghan technical team spent several weeksin discussions in Moscow, having stayed on after Azizi visited there lastmonth.
