Taliban says 20 trade deals signed with Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya region

The Taliban administration has announced that members of Afghanistan’s private sector and Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya region have signed 20 memorandums of understanding worth $267 million. According to the Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the agreements were signed following bilateral meetings between the two sides in Kabul.

In a statement released on Sunday, 8 Sonbola, the ministry said the memorandums cover the food, construction, clothing, livestock, electronics, and furniture sectors. No further details were provided on how the agreements would be implemented or when they would take effect.

Ahmadullah Zahid, deputy minister of industry and commerce in the Taliban administration, said at a trade conference between the two sides that trade volume between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan had increased. He also described the transit of goods as important for Afghanistan and said the Taliban administration was ready to hold talks with Uzbek officials on the passage of Afghan goods through Uzbekistan.

According to the Taliban Ministry of Industry and Commerce statement, Shukhrat Muradov, the deputy governor of Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya region, was also present at the event. Kashkadarya province is located in southern Uzbekistan and is considered one of the administrative units close to that country’s trade routes with Afghanistan.