Monday August 13, 2018
Kabul (BNA) Presided over by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, the High Economic Council (HEC) held session on Sunday, BNA reported. During the meeting, the bidding process on Badakhshan gold and Balkhaab copper mines, draft on decreasing tariffs of raw-materials of oil production factories, the draft on promoting solar water heaters in Afghanistan, the draft to solve tax problems of private airline companies, Kabul-Dubai and Dubai-Hong Kong cargo report related to UAE Airline Company, the report on removing restrictions by UAE air aviation administration on Kam Air flights and allowing seven flights every week to Alarabiya Airline Company between Kabul-Sharjah were discussed. At the outset, Presidential senior advisor on financial and banking affairs Ajmal Ahmadi presented the result of inspections made by inter-ministerial committee of ministries for mines, economy and finance on taking Badakhshan gold and Balkhaab copper mines’ contracts by Santar and Gomoz companies. He added these two companies have consecutively shown interest to these projects and they are technically eligible and financially capable to provide the financial fund to develop the mentioned mines. He added the financial guarantee would be received after signing the contract. After comprehensive debates, Badakhshan gold and Balkhaab copper mines contracts delivering to Santar and Gomoz companies were approved. The President said as it was an explorative stage, it should be clarified what is the result of exploration and then financial guarantee should be received. He stressed a specific security mechanism should be arranged to ensure security of the projects. Afterwards, finance ministry customs’ revenue deputy presented the draft to decrease tariffs on oil production factories and suggested that based on cabinet approval, tariffs should be decreased from 5 percent to one percent. After approving the draft, the President said that control mechanisms should be arranged as petroleum raw-materials should be controlled prior to and after refinery. Likewise, head of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat Amanullah Ghalib presented a draft on solar water heaters said implementation of the draft would decrease power consumptions and it would help us supply power to those areas where are facing with lack of power. At the end, head of civil aviation administration Mahmoud Shah Habibi presented a report on UAE Airline Company’s Kabul-Dubai and Hong Kong-Dubai cargo, the report to remove restrictions applied by UAE air aviation on Kam Air flights and allowing seven flights every week between Kabul-Sharjah to Alarabiya Airline Company. While discussing the mentioned report, the meeting clarified that Afghanistan supports launching of cargo, but clarification should be given that how much of sum would Afghanistan earn through that and its details would be discussed in the next HEC meeting.
