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MINISTRY OF TRADE DURING the third year of the plan the Ministry of Trade dealt with a number of activities pertain- ing to an increase in trade relations with other countries, and national and inter- national exhibitions were held for the further publicising of Afghan commodi- ties to consumers at home and abroad. Here we present details of some of the year's activities. FOREIGN TRADE A. Agreements. During the year several trade agree- ments have been signed or extended and various delegations have gone to foreign countries or been received from foreign countries for the furtherance of commer- cial and trade relations. (i) A delegation from the Czechoslovak Government arrived in Kabul to sign an agreement and protocol for the exchange of goods and prices between the govern- ments of Afghanistan and Czechoslovakia. After due discussion and talks between the parties, a barter agreement and protocol for prices was signed on October 12th, 1958. (ii) A protocol for the exchange of goods and prices between Afghanistan and Poland, which is signed alternately in Kabul and Warsaw, was extended on October 21st, 1958, in Kabul when a Polish delegation arrived for talks in Afghanistan. (iii) On the invitation of the United Arab Republic Chamber of Commerce, a delegation headed by the Deputy Minister of Planning left for Cairo on December 8th, 1958, to participate in an economic conference held there. (iv) As a result of an agreement between Afghanistan and France and with a view to expanding economic relations between the two countries, an Economic and Technical Co-operation Agreement was signed by representatives of both sides in Kabul on January 6th, 1959. (v) An Afghan economic delegation participated in the annual E.C.A.F.E. Conference from January 9th to 19th and from January 21st to February 21st in Bangkok. An exchange of views took place on the expansion of trade relations between Asian countries and the possi- bilities of exporting and importing goods between the countries concerned were established. Direct talks and communi- cations took place later between Afghani- stan and other participants in the Conference. (vi) An Afghan delegation participated in the 15th session of the E.C.A.F.E. Committee Meeting held in Australia in March, 1959. (vii) A commercial delegation was sent to Yugoslavia upon the invitation of the Yugoslav Government in March, 1959, to inspect commercial and industrial organisations in that country. (viii) The Protocol for the Exchange of Goods and Prices between Afghanistan and the U.S.S.R. was renewed for the year 1959 when a delegation under the Minister of Trade visited the U.S.S.R. in April. (ix) Upon the unofficial invitation of the Italian Government a delegation consisting of representatives of the Ministries of Mines and Industries. Public Works and Trade, Da Afghanistan Bank, Commercial Bank, and the Gulba- har Textile Company went to inspect the various industries and commercial organisations of Italy in June, 1959. (x) A Japanese technical, co-opera- tive and economic delegation came to 88