Delegation of Afghanistan's ACCI to come to SPIEF to negotiate purchases of petroleum products, wheat from Russia - rep Kabulov

MOSCOW. June 14 (Interfax) - Afghan entrepreneurs are interested in the procurement of petroleum products, wheat and other essential goods from Russia, commercial contracts can be signed at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Zamir Kabulov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Second Asian Department and the Russian presidential special envoy for Afghanistan, said.

"A delegation of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce & Industries, not of the Taliban [terrorist organization banned in Russia], is coming [to SPIEF]. Afghan businessmen are coming to the St. Petersburg forum. Several months ago I was a member of an interagency delegation in Kabul, we discussed possible tracks of our cooperation, reached agreements on priority tracks, they are mainly reduced to trade in petroleum products, wheat, food and other essential goods, which they will, of course, need," Kabulov said on the Bolshaya Igra (which translates as "Big Game") program on Channel One.

"At the forum, they will have an opportunity to agree on some contracts and supply. Moreover, we are making preparations for a visit to Moscow by the Afghan commerce minister, who has already appealed to Russia with a list of priority nomenclature goods Afghan business is interested in, we are talking about commercial supply," he said.

The list given by the Afghan commerce minister includes petroleum products, wheat, and various types of other civilian goods, the Russian diplomat said.

"I have to say these are very liquid goods, and Afghan merchants are ready to pay for it," Kabulov said.

The economic situation in Afghanistan is "serious" and it may aggravate this summer because there was little snow last winter and the country may harvest 30% less grain than the average amount, the Russian diplomat said.

"An interagency delegation reported its ideas to the president after the visit to Afghanistan, and Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] gave his general consent for the provision of grain if necessary. The volumes of such assistance will be determined by the government depending on the specific situation," he said.