In the Afghanistan-Uzbekistan Private Sector Business Connectivity Conference held recently in Kabul, 38 trade memorandums of understanding (MoUs) valued at approximately $520 million were signed between businessmen from the two neighboring countries.
Kabul 24: This event marks a significant step toward deepening economic and commercial ties between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) stated that the main objective of organizing the conference was to strengthen trade relations and create new investment opportunities between the two nations.
Syed Karim Hashimi, President of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, highlighted in his speech that economic cooperation between the institutions of the two countries has expanded remarkably over the past six months.
Hashimi described the repeated visits by Uzbek trade delegations to Afghanistan as a key factor in facilitating direct dialogues between traders and enhancing commercial cooperation.
He added that, as a result of these visits, numerous agreements have been signed in sectors such as agriculture, food products, mining, transit and logistics, construction, petroleum products, and energy, with a total value exceeding $1.4 billion.Nooruddin Azizi, Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, described Afghanistan as a suitable and promising market for Uzbek-produced goods and emphasized the high potential for mutual cooperation.Shavkat Abdurazzakov (or Sherat Abdul Rahmanov), Governor of Uzbekistan’s Namangan (or Andijan) province, announced that traders from his province are ready to invest and collaborate with Afghan businessmen in various fields, particularly in cement production, electric cables, spices, and footwear manufacturing.
In recent years, Afghanistan has actively worked to reduce its dependence on limited trade routes by expanding economic links with regional countries, especially Uzbekistan, and establishing alternative pathways for trade and transit.
These newly signed agreements are expected not only to boost bilateral trade volume but also to pave the way for direct investments, technology transfer, and joint industrial projects.
Analysts believe such initiatives will contribute to Afghanistan’s economic stability and further strengthen Uzbekistan’s role as an important trading partner.Overall, the successful holding of this conference and the signing of these substantial agreements clearly demonstrate the positive momentum in Kabul-Tashkent economic relations.
They also raise hopes for achieving long-term goals, such as increasing annual trade turnover to several billion dollars.
