Afghanistan’s Industry Minister Meets Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister in Tashkent to Boost Trade Cooperation
The Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced that Nooruddin Azizi, acting head of the ministry, met with Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister during a visit to Tashkent. They discussed expanding trade and transit cooperation between the two countries.
According to the ministry’s newsletter, both parties focused on increasing the bilateral trade volume, facilitating Afghan exports, and removing transit barriers. Establishing an export center in Balkh province was also a key topic of the meeting.
The discussions emphasized coordinating visits of provincial officials from both countries to follow up on agreements reached. Balkh, bordering Uzbekistan and home to the important Hairatan port, is considered a strategic point for trade exchanges between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
Despite these talks, no detailed information was released regarding potential investment volumes, timelines for implementing the proposed plans, or the mechanisms for execution — issues regularly highlighted by the private sector and traders as major challenges in economic dealings with the Taliban administration.
