KABUL: Mawlavi Gul Hassan Hassan, the Islamic Emirate’s ambassador to Russia, has stated that efforts and negotiations are underway to expand banking interactions between Afghanistan and Russia.
He made the remarks in an interview with the Russian news agency Izvestia, published this morning.
The Russian media outlet reported that economic experts believe the use of the banking system and “Mir” cards could serve as a suitable alternative for enhancing banking transactions between Afghanistan and Russia.
The “Mir” card system is a common method established by the Central Bank of Russia to replace international systems such as MasterCard.
According to the ambassador, increasing and expanding banking interactions between Afghanistan and Russia could positively impact trade development and attract Russian tourists.
He emphasized that Kabul and Moscow are currently in discussions regarding the acceptance of the “Mir” banking system and cards.
Mawlavi Hassan pointed out that Afghanistan needs to conduct banking transactions (financial operations) without any issues.
He stated: “Work is ongoing in this regard, and negotiations are in progress. We need financial transactions for purchases to be carried out without any restrictions or problems.”
Published information indicates that one of the existing challenges in implementing the “Mir” banking system is the lack of “Mir” payment machines in Afghanistan.
It is noteworthy that Russia was the first country in the world and the first of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to recognize the Islamic Emirate’s authority over Afghanistan nearly four months ago.
Kabul aims to expand banking relations with Moscow: Will Russian “Mir” cards enter Afghanistan’s market?
