Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - On 20 October 2020, within the framework of the visit of the government delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Kabul, an expanded meeting of the heads of ministries and departments of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was held.

From the Afghan side, the meeting was attended by Acting Minister of Industry and Trade Nisar Ahmad Goryani, Acting Minister of Transport Kudratullah Zaki, Acting Minister of Public Works Najibullah Yamin, as well as heads of other ministries and departments.

The Uzbek side was represented by the leadership of the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, Uzbekiston Temir Yollari and other departments.

During the meeting, mutual readiness was expressed to build a multifaceted partnership between the two states with an emphasis on the spheres of industrial cooperation, trade, transport and energy.

They discussed the existing prerequisites for further expansion and diversification of industrial cooperation through the development and implementation of new joint projects in the most promising areas, such as textile, food, leather and footwear industries, production of automotive and agricultural machinery, food and construction materials. They also considered practical issues related to the implementation of already launched projects to modernize a number of industrial enterprises in Afghanistan.

The parties emphasized the positive trends in the development of mutual trade - only in the first half of 2020 was a 24 percent increase in trade turnover achieved in relation to the same period last year. In this context, they also noted ample opportunities for further building up mutual trade through the full use of the economic potential of the two countries. In this regard, during the meeting, promising proposals were discussed to eliminate existing barriers to trade and optimize conditions for the implementation of foreign trade operations by Uzbek and Afghan companies. In particular, an agreement was reached to intensify the joint work of the relevant departments and ministries of the two countries to prepare for the signing by the end of this year of a draft Agreement on preferential trade between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

It was also noted that against the background of a global decrease in international trade, the dynamics of mutual cargo transportation between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan demonstrates steady growth rates - in the period from January to September of this year, the volume of traffic by rail and road increased by 47 percent. As the participants of the meeting noted, this testifies to the significant potential for further strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation in the transport and logistics sector through coordinated actions to optimize the regulation system for bilateral passenger and freight traffic and implement joint infrastructure projects.

During the event, in the presence of the delegation of Uzbekistan, an agreement was signed between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Asian Development Bank to finance the construction of the Surkhan-Puli-Khumri transmission line, providing for the allocation of US$110 million. The bulk of the funds will be directed to construction work, which is planned to be carried out by Uzbek contractors. The corresponding contract for the construction of this transmission line between JSC National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan and DA Afghanistan Breshna Shirkat will be signed in the near future.

Direct dialogue between the heads of relevant ministries and departments allowed them to discuss key issues on the agenda, work out mutually acceptable solutions, reach specific agreements on cooperation in the designated areas, outline further practical actions for the implementation of joint initiatives and formulate a preliminary list of measures to be included in the joint "Roadmap" for multifaceted cooperation Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.

As a result of the extended meeting, the participants expressed their firm belief that the agreements reached within the framework of the event will give an effective impetus to bilateral cooperation and will contribute to strengthening sustainable development in the Central Asian region.