Shahrani vows transparent mining contracts

WASHINGTON (PAN): Mines Minister Wahidullah Shahrani has assured the United States that transparency will be maintained in awarding mining contracts and the best international practices adopted in this regard.

On a short visit to the Washington, Shahrani met US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake on Friday.

During his meetings, Shahrani noted steps the Afghan government was taking to ensure the award of contracts and management of revenue was transparent, consistent with international practices and in the interest of the people. 

He described recent progress in attracting international investment to develop Afghanistan’s resources as well as engagement with neighbours to advance the New Silk Road vision, including the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline.

During his two-day stay in the US on March 1 and 2, Shahrani also met Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar.

The State Department said Grossman reiterated US support for Afghanistan’s continuing reform efforts intended to promote sustainable growth and spur private sector investment, especially in key sectors such as mining.

The two sides discussed plans to attend the upcoming Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan, to be hosted by Tajikistan on March 26-27. The moot will be an occasion for regional countries to discuss continued economic integration.

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