Afghan acting FM downplays economic crisis

People work at the construction site of a road in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, July 9, 2023. Afghan Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi has downplayed the reports on the economic crisis, saying the economy of Afghanistan has been moving on the right track, reported the state-run Bakhtar News Agency on Sunday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghan Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi has downplayed the reports on the economic crisis, saying the economy of Afghanistan has been moving on the right track, reported the state-run Bakhtar News Agency on Sunday.

According to the state-controlled media outlet, Muttaqi made the remarks in a meeting with elders and ranking officials who returned home from Saudi Arabia after performing Hajj rituals.

War-torn Afghanistan has been facing poverty and economic hardships since the withdrawal of foreign forces and the induction of the caretaker government nearly two years ago as the U.S. froze more than 9 billion dollars of assets of Afghanistan's central bank.

Financial support to Afghanistan has drastically dropped and the banking system has been derailed due to U.S.-imposed sanctions, which eventually worsened the economic situation of the already bankrupt nation.

More than 28 million or two-thirds of Afghanistan's population, according to aid agencies' reports, have been suffering from food insecurity.

This photo taken on July 9, 2023 shows the construction site of a road in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. Afghan Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi has downplayed the reports on the economic crisis, saying the economy of Afghanistan has been moving on the right track, reported the state-run Bakhtar News Agency on Sunday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

People work at the construction site of a road in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, July 9, 2023. Afghan Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi has downplayed the reports on the economic crisis, saying the economy of Afghanistan has been moving on the right track, reported the state-run Bakhtar News Agency on Sunday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)