Uzbekistan and Afghanistan concluded an agreement on preferential trade

On June 11, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev received the Acting Minister of Industry and Trade of Afghanistan, Nuriddin Azizi, on the sidelines of the Tashkent International Investment Forum.

“At the beginning of the conversation, the minister conveyed sincere greetings from the Afghan leadership to the Uzbek leader,” the presidential press service reported.

As reported, the meeting discussed issues of expanding cooperation in the trade and economy, transport and logistics, energy and agricultural sectors, as well as in the field of geological exploration and minerals.

“The intensification of business relations was noted with satisfaction. The volume of mutual trade, the number of joint ventures are increasing, business visits and exhibitions are regularly held with the participation of companies from both countries. The International Trade Center is successfully operating in the city of Termez. In May of this year, trading houses were opened in the cities of Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif.

The head of Uzbekistan stressed the importance of further strengthening the contractual and legal foundations of economic and investment cooperation.

Also, the need to quickly build the Hairaton industrial center, where the production of pharmaceuticals, furniture, textile products, construction materials, and agricultural product processing capacities was emphasized.

Large regional infrastructure projects such as the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway and the Surkhan-Puli-Khumri power transmission line were supported,” the official release says.

^{Photo: Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade}
The Tashkent Investment Forum also saw talks between the Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, Laziz Kudratov, and the Minister of Industry and Trade of Afghanistan, Nuriddin Azizi.

The Agreement on Preferential Trade and the Program for Cooperation in the Trade, Economic and Industrial Spheres for 2025-2026 were signed.