Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Jan. 25
By Demir Azizov – Trend:
Uzbekistan and Afghanistan signed a bilateral trade and economic road map on the results of an official visit of the Uzbek delegation to Afghanistan, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry’s press service said in a message.
The road map’s implementation will allow increasing the two countries’ trade turnover up to $1.5 billion in a short period of time.
Moreover, several intergovernmental documents aimed at boosting the bilateral cooperation have been signed during the visit, according to the message.
During the visit, the delegation was led by Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, said the press service.
During the meeting with Afghanistan’s President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, the Uzbek foreign minister presented personal message of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in which the Uzbek head invited his Afghan counterpart to pay an official visit to Uzbekistan.
Abdulaziz Kamilov and Mohammad Ashraf Ghani discussed issues of development of relations between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan in various spheres.
Kamilov also met with Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah. The sides discussed directions of the development of cooperation, as well as the implementation of joint projects in the sphere of energy, social and economic revival of Afghanistan, infrastructure facilities.
In January-October 2016, trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan amounted to $429 million. The parties noted that the two countries have enough opportunities for boosting the trade turnover volume.
Abdullah Abdullah thanked Uzbekistan for the construction and commissioning of the railway line between Hairatan and Mazar-e-Sharif.
Moreover, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov met his Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani. They discussed issues of cooperation between the two countries within international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and others.
During the visit, entrepreneurs of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan signed contracts on supply of medicine and medical products, ambulances, wheat, electrical (household) appliances worth more than $49.3 million.
Moreover, a protocol of intention on further development of cooperation in the sphere of transportation infrastructure, envisaging the participation of the Uzbek side in joint railway and road projects, a protocol of intention on creation of a joint commission on security issues and a MoU between the two countries’ foreign ministries.
Uzbekistan and Afghanistan signed an agreement between the two countries’ interior ministries on cooperation in the fight against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors.