BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 20
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
Uzbekistan, Afghanistan agreed to start developing a draft agreement on the encouragement and mutual protection of investments between the two countries in order to create modern production facilities with high added value with the prospect of their export to the markets of third countries, Trend reports citing Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade.
Prime Minister, Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov and Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Afghanistan Mohammad Shakir Karga discussed the current agenda of bilateral political, trade and economic cooperation, interaction in the transport, logistics, cultural and humanitarian spheres, as well as further measures to deepen the Uzbek-Afghan relations.
The Afghan side gave a positive assessment to the adoption in November of this year of the resolution of the president of Uzbekistan "On measures to further expand and strengthen economic cooperation with Afghanistan", which provides for the implementation of specific measures to increase the volume of mutual trade, cooperation in the economic sphere and the implementation of joint projects.
It was also noted that a working group consisting of heads of ministries and departments will be created in the city of Termez in Uzbekistan to work out issues of bilateral economic cooperation and implement a set of measures aimed at developing the Uzbek-Afghan partnership.
The sides emphasized mutual readiness to bring the volume of mutual trade to $2 billion. In this context, the parties exchanged views on further actions to agree on a draft agreement on preferential trade between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. The signing of the agreement will lay a solid foundation for trade cooperation, strengthen ties between Uzbek and Afghan entrepreneurs in a wide range of industries and facilitate mutual access for them to the markets of the two countries.
In addition, issues of the development of trans-Afghan transport corridors, the establishment of international road links, and the resumption of regular flights between the two countries, as well as the increase in transit traffic in the region were discussed.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @romakayeva