Part 6
Ayyub
Constructive Relations With the World: Diplomatic Successes and Afghanistan’s Regional Standing
After taking steps toward strengthening security, consolidating governance, establishing the rule of law and moving toward economic self-sufficiency, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has adopted an active, balanced foreign policy. This policy rests on mutual respect, non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs and the expansion of regional cooperation. Contrary to the propaganda spread by media outlets that present Afghanistan as a country isolated from the international community, facts on the ground show Afghanistan’s broad and growing relations with its neighbors and other countries in the region.
These relations are visible not just on the political front, but also in the economic, trade and transit sectors, and they keep expanding day by day.
In foreign trade, Afghanistan today maintains active trade relations with numerous countries around the world. In recent years, despite international pressures and banking restrictions, the country’s trade volume has continued to grow. Afghanistan’s exports, mostly agricultural products, minerals and handicrafts, reach markets across the region and beyond. Essential goods, in turn, are imported from various countries, particularly from neighboring countries.
Despite sanctions and political pressure, Afghanistan’s market remains attractive to trading partners, and foreign traders and investors continue their trade relations with the country.
On investment, the IEA’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) has laid the groundwork for dozens of memoranda of understanding and commercial and investment contracts between Afghanistan’s private sector and regional partners. These contracts cover mining, agriculture, industry and transit, and they reflect considerable regional confidence in Afghanistan’s economic capacity.
With industrial land being distributed to factories and new industrial companies beginning operations across various sectors, the ground has been laid for attracting further investment and expanding domestic production. These economic relations benefit not just Afghanistan, but the whole region, since Afghanistan’s stability and prosperity have a direct, positive effect on its neighbors’ security and progress too.
The IEA’s achievements in transit and transportation stand out as well. The Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) has announced that the volume of Afghanistan’s exports and imports transported by rail has increased considerably in recent years. Afghanistan is gradually securing its position within the region’s transit corridors, reducing its old dependence on a single route by expanding alternative ones. Trade goods now move through various routes, including Hairatan, Aqina, Torghundi and Khaf-Herat, to neighboring countries and beyond. This diversity of routes has strengthened Afghanistan’s transit position and expanded the country’s role in regional trade.
Progress has also been made on major regional projects. The TAPI project, which aims to carry Turkmenistan’s natural gas through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India, is underway on Afghan soil, with major sections expected to be completed in the coming years. CASA-1000, another foundational project, is designed to transmit electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan through Afghanistan.
The IEA is pursuing this project to strengthen regional connectivity and make use of Afghanistan’s geographic position. These projects don’t just bring economic benefits to the country; they also establish Afghanistan as an important link connecting the region.
Despite all this, some individuals with ulterior motives, hostile media outlets and foreign political circles claim Afghanistan is internationally isolated, ignoring these broad relations entirely.
But the question is: if Afghanistan were really isolated from the international community, how could it maintain active trade relations with so many countries, sign dozens of memoranda of understanding and trade contracts with regional countries, or see major projects like TAPI and CASA-1000 move forward on its soil with the cooperation of several countries?
The claim of Afghanistan’s international isolation is, for the most part, a political narrative pushed by people and groups chasing their own interests, not an established fact. Unable to secure their illegitimate gains inside Afghanistan, these people resort to spreading false accusations and distorting reality in the media and on social media, whether through their own political commentary or through people tied to them. These baseless accusations don’t match the facts on the ground at all.
Another diplomatic achievement, within the framework of national interests, is building cooperative ties with international organizations and aid agencies.
The IEA has stated repeatedly that it’s ready to cooperate with the world on humanitarian and economic matters, but this cooperation must rest on mutual respect and non-interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. That principled stance has gradually become acceptable to numerous countries in the region and beyond, laying the ground for expanding diplomatic relations going forward.
Today, contrary to the propaganda of its opponents, Afghanistan isn’t sitting on the margins of the world. It’s at the center of regional change. This is one of the achievements of the IEA’s measured approach, prudence and independent decision-making.
