Russian emphasizes the need to unlock Afghanistan’s frozen assets

New Delhi: The Russian side emphasizes the need to unlock Afghanistan’s national assets illegally held by Washington, Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Ivan Nechaev told a press briefing on Wednesday.

“On our part, we again drew attention to the need to unlock the national assets of Afghanistan,” the Russian diplomat said, commenting on the results of the international conference on Afghanistan held in Tashkent on July 26.

The illegal seizure of the Afghan funds by Washington and “European minions” obstructs the international community’s efforts to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan after the 20-year American occupation, the Russian diplomat pointed out.

There are about $7 billion of Afghan funds from the country’s central bank frozen in the United States. Afghanistan’s economy is on the verge of collapse. Inflation is soaring, and millions of Afghans are on the brink of starvation.

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that donors contributed $1.67 billion for Afghanistan humanitarian assistance programs in 2021. The United States contributed the largest amount, over $425 million. These amounts far exceeded previous years’ humanitarian assistance.

Afghan frozen assets are assets that were frozen in the United States and around the world following the 2021 Fall of Kabul and the subsequent collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan against the Taliban.

(Vinayak)