Uzbekistan and Taliban’s Afghanistan Take New Steps to Boost Transit Cooperation
The Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan has announced that the country will provide additional facilities to increase the movement of transit vehicles from Afghanistan, a move that could impact Afghanistan’s export and import processes.
According to the Taliban’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, Ilham Makhkamov Rustamovich, in a meeting with Mullah Mohammad Fazil Mazloom, the acting Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of the Taliban administration, emphasized continuing transportation cooperation between the two countries and stated that arrangements will be made to facilitate the transit of Afghan vehicles into Uzbekistan.
The meeting also discussed simplifying visa issuance for drivers from both countries and expanding bilateral transportation relations; a development that, if realized, could alleviate some of the challenges faced by Afghan drivers and traders along northern transit routes.
Mullah Mohammad Fazil Mazloom, the acting Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of the Taliban administration, claimed during the session that Kabul and Tashkent have the determination to advance joint cooperation and that practical steps must be taken. According to the press release, the two sides agreed to establish a joint technical team to begin implementing transit facilitation measures.
Uzbekistan is considered one of the crucial transit routes for Afghanistan in Central Asia, with a significant portion of Afghanistan’s trade conducted through the country’s border crossings.
