Around 40 traders, as part of an official delegation from Uzbekistan, traveled to Kabul and signed 25 agreements with Afghan traders across various sectors.
Officials say these agreements will help further strengthen economic and political relations between the two neighboring countries.
They assured traders of full government support, but also urged Afghan traders to increase exports to Uzbekistan alongside imports.
Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, said: “We expect the private sector to also consider certain issues regarding exports. Most of our exports are raw materials, and we can process them in Uzbek factories. According to our information, Afghanistan has produced around half a million tons of cotton this year.”
He believes that investment by Uzbek investors in Afghanistan will also create domestic job opportunities.
Meanwhile, the private sector described the recently held exhibition of Afghan products in Tashkent as highly successful, adding that it showed Afghan goods have a strong market in Uzbekistan.
The head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, Sayed Karim Hashemi, said: “As you know, four days ago the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment organized its first exhibition titled ‘Made in Afghanistan’ in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Various Afghan products such as dried and fresh fruits, carpets, cotton, precious and semi-precious stones, saffron, and other goods were displayed for three days. The exhibition yielded significant results for us. In addition to 95% of the displayed goods being sold, hundreds of companies and thousands of people visited the event.”
At the same time, Uzbek officials say their traders are ready to invest in various sectors in Afghanistan. They assured that they will not only export goods to Afghanistan but will also increase imports from it.
The governor of Namangan, Shavkat Abdurazzaqov, said: “The main purpose of this meeting is to establish direct relations between Namangan traders and Afghan businessmen and to increase the volume of trade exchange. We are not only ready to export finished products, but also prepared to establish joint factories in your country, create job opportunities, and share experiences.”
During this joint meeting, Afghan and Uzbek traders signed trade agreements worth approximately $514 million across various sectors. Under these agreements, about $170 million will be exports from Afghanistan, while the remainder will be imports from Uzbekistan.
According to officials from the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, Uzbek authorities have also pledged to issue one-year visas to 40 Afghan investors and provide various facilities to Afghan traders at ports.
