KAZAN, May 15. /TASS/. Afghanistan plans to cooperate with Russia on mining of rare earth metals and expects investments from Russian companies, Nooruddin Azizi, acting Industry and Trade Minister in the provisional government of the radical movement Taliban (banned in Russia) said.

"In Afghanistan we have very large reserves of lithium and copper, as well as mineral resources such as precious stones. There is good potential for the extraction of these metals and minerals, and I hope that Russian companies will invest in Afghanistan in this area," he said on the sidelines of the forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum."

The 15th International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2024" is being held on May 14-19 in Kazan. This year's keynote is "Trust and Cooperation." The main goal of the forum is to strengthen trade and economic, scientific and technical, social and cultural ties between Russian regions and the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as to promote the development of the Islamic financial system institutions in Russia.