Afghan and Uzbek Private Sectors Sign $112 Million Cooperation Agreements

The Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced that members of the private sectors of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan have signed 10 cooperation memorandums worth a total of $112 million. These agreements were signed on the sidelines of the “Trade Communication” meeting and face-to-face meetings between businessmen from the two countries.

According to the ministry, the signing ceremony was held in the presence of Mawlawi Shahabuddin Thaqib, Deputy of Financial and Administrative Affairs of the Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Amanbay Urinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.

Mawlawi Thaqib, referring to the official delegations’ visits between the two sides, said that the trips of Uzbek officials to Afghanistan and reciprocal visits have provided a basis for expanding economic and trade cooperation. He added that during the visits of Uzbekistan’s provincial governors to Afghanistan, multiple agreements worth millions of dollars were signed between the private sectors of the two countries, leading to increased trade volume.

Officials from the Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Trade described the private sector’s role as significant in developing economic relations between Kabul and Tashkent, emphasizing the continuation of trade interactions.

Simultaneously, an exhibition showcasing products and goods from the Republic of Uzbekistan was inaugurated in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, attended by the two aforementioned officials. Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, is considered one of the most important commercial areas in northern Afghanistan and has historically played a key role in trade exchanges with Central Asia.