Transit: First container train from Afghanistan to China

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Today, on 5 September, a ceremony of opening the first export of container cargo from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the People’s Republic of China took place.

A train of 41 containers loaded with semi-finished stone of mineral talc was sent from the Hairaton station via the Friendship Bridge - a rail-road bridge across the Amu Darya river in transit through the Republic of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from the Presidential Administration Office, the Ministry of Transport, the Afghan Railway Administration, the office of the Governor of Balkh Province, the Mayor’s Office of the city of Khairaton, as well as the embassies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan Temir Yollari.

It should be noted that Uzbekistan continues to expand bilateral ties with Afghanistan and is actively joining international efforts to resolve peaceful life in this country. Intensive and trusting contacts at all levels, the political will of the leaders of the two countries, allowed Uzbekistan and Afghanistan to give bilateral relations a fundamentally new dynamic, which can be clearly seen in all areas of cooperation. In particular, in the railway sector, there are wide opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships and the further development of Uzbek-Afghan relations.