RASC News Agency: The Taliban group’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting minister of the ministry, underscored the commencement of the Mes Aynak Logar project during a meeting with Yue Xiaoyong, China’s special representative for Afghanistan affairs. In a statement issued by Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the spokesperson for the Taliban group’s foreign ministry, it was disclosed that Muttaqi’s meeting with the Chinese representative in Kabul took place on Monday, December 18th. The spokesperson further articulated that the meeting delved into recent developments and Chinese investments in Afghanistan.
According to the spokesperson, the acting minister of foreign affairs for the Taliban group viewed the appointment of the new ambassador for the group in Beijing as a significant development and expressed gratitude for China’s position in the international system. However, the spokesperson also conveyed that the Chinese representative assured Muttaqi that China respects Afghanistan’s independence and will abstain from interfering in the country’s internal affairs. Balkhi added that Muttaqi underscored the imperative to initiate work on the Mes Aynak project during the meeting.
The spokesperson for the Taliban’s foreign ministry further stated that the Chinese special representative emphasized the importance of heightened collaboration between the relevant institutions of both countries to facilitate the practical commencement of the Mes Aynak project.
It is crucial to note that Mes Aynak, situated in the Mohammad Agha district of Logar province, stands as Afghanistan’s largest copper mine and the second-largest in the world. It is worth mentioning that since the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan, the group has initiated the sale of natural resources and the extraction of mines in the country. However, the specifics regarding the sales process and extraction methods remain ambiguous.
