Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Aim to Boost Joint Exports to Afghanistan to $3 Billion
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have announced plans to increase their joint exports to Afghanistan to up to three billion dollars as part of new trade cooperation efforts, highlighting the growing focus of the two Central Asian countries on the Afghan market.
This decision was made during a business forum between the two countries held in Tashkent, where economic actors discussed expanding exports to regional markets, especially Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. According to Uzbek media reports, Afghanistan has become a key focus of trade collaboration between Tashkent and Nur-Sultan.
At the meeting, it was disclosed that Kazakhstan’s exports to Afghanistan reached approximately 500 million dollars in the first seven months of this year, matching the total exports to Afghanistan from the previous year.
Economic officials from both countries cited increased demand in the Afghan market and existing capacities for trade development as the main drivers for expanding commercial ties.
Besides exporting goods, talks are also underway regarding the import of mineral raw materials from Afghanistan. Officials present indicated that negotiations have taken place to supply certain minerals, including zinc ore, for Uzbekistan’s Almalyk mining and metallurgical complex.
In the transit sector, solutions to reduce transportation costs were explored. The Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce proposed utilising Turkish freight trucks— which reportedly pass through this route about 350,000 times annually and return empty after unloading—to transport goods.
In recent years, Afghanistan’s geographical position between Central and South Asia has made it an important market and a potential transit route for regional countries. Tashkent and Nur-Sultan are striving to leverage this status to expand their commercial presence.
