Turkey’s energy minister met with Afghan president Hamid Karzai in early March, as the Turkish state-owned oil company TPAO prepared to invest more than $100 million in oil and gas projects in Afghanistan. Turkish companies have also won tenders to explore for gold and other minerals in the country, which has pinned its near- and long-term economic prospects on exploitation of long-neglected mineral wealth.
Given the plethora of challenges facing mineral projects in Afghanistan, and the country’s geo-political importance, it’s not surprising that some of the first successful investors are state-backed (Chinese state-owned producers are expected to be the first to export oil from Afghanistan).