Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Today, on 2 February, high-level Uzbek-Afghan-Pakistani talks were held in Tashkent with the participation of heads of key international financial institutions on the implementation of the Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway construction project".

The delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan was headed by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade S. Umurzakov, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Minister of Foreign Affairs M.Kh. Atmar, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan - Adviser to the Prime Minister A.R. Davud.

This event is a logical continuation of a series of negotiations at the highest and high levels, following which on 29 December 2020, the heads of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan sent a joint appeal to international financial institutions with a proposal to support the project for the construction of the Mazar-i-Sharif - Kabul - Peshawar railway ".

Under these conditions, the construction of the Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway will significantly reduce the time and cost of transporting goods between the countries of South Asia and Europe through Central Asia.

Thus, the new trans-Afghan railway, which provides access to the Pakistani seaports of Karachi, Qasem and Gwadar, will dramatically increase the transit potential of Central Asia, attract significant cargo flows, and revive the historical role of the region as a bridge connecting Europe and Asia by the shortest overland route.

The implementation of the project will also create unique opportunities for ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan, stimulating the progressive economic growth of this country by creating tens of thousands of new jobs and creating conditions for the development of rich reserves of minerals (copper, tin, zinc, iron ore, marble, granite , travertine and others) along the route of the railway.