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Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, used a visit to Uzbekistan to press for easier trade and transit, focusing on boosting exports, establishing an export centre in Balkh, and strengthening regional economic ties.
Azizi attended the INNOPROM Central Asia industrial exhibition in Tashkent, where, according to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, more than 60 Afghan companies participated over three days. The ministry said the firms showcased products from the cotton, coal, spices, agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors.
In a meeting with Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Jamshid Khodjayev, the two sides discussed trade, transit and Afghan exports to Uzbekistan. According to an official statement, they also discussed “establishing an export centre for Afghan products in Balkh province, as well as the mechanism for operating this centre.”
The visit also included a trilateral meeting with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on the sidelines of the exhibition. According to the ministry, the three sides discussed “providing facilities in the areas of transit and trade, especially for Afghanistan’s export goods to the republics of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan”. The statement said they agreed to form a joint working group and confirmed Afghanistan’s membership in the exhibition.
In Namangan, Azizi met Governor Shavkat Abdurazzaqov. According to the ministry, the two sides discussed expanding trade and increasing exports to Uzbekistan, “especially cotton and coal”. The ministry said Azizi also invited Uzbek investors to invest in textile factories, mineral processing plants and pharmaceutical production in Afghanistan.
Azizi also met Belarusian Industry Minister Andrey Yevgenyevich Kuznetsov in Uzbekistan. According to the ministry, they discussed “increasing the level of trade between the two countries, as well as purchasing diesel fuel and petrol from the Republic of Belarus.” The ministry said both sides agreed to form a deputy minister-level working group to follow up on the talks.
The meetings point to a broader Afghan effort to increase exports of cotton, coal, spices, agricultural goods and pharmaceuticals, while also seeking fuel imports and foreign investment.
Kuwait arrested four members of an IRGC-linked group as they tried to enter the country by sea, the Gulf state's KUNA news agency reported on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a senior IRGC officer said Iran had expanded its definition of the Strait of Hormuz to include a far wider area.
Australia confirmed it will repatriate citizens from the MV Hondius cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, with quarantine on arrival. Spain, France are evacuating nationals as three deaths are confirmed. In the U.S., two passengers have been isolated after testing positive for the virus.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal as a “stupid proposal,” saying Tehran failed to commit to abandoning its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, while warning the fragile ceasefire was on “massive life support”.
Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chkhorotsku has been elected the 142nd head of the Georgian Orthodox Church at a meeting of clergy in Tbilisi following the death of longtime Patriarch Ilia II.
Afghanistan has signed a five-year gold mining contract with Afghan and Azerbaijani companies in a deal worth more than $20m, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has said.
AnewZ has premiered its new investigative documentary, Shadow of the Cross, examining the power, history and contested role of one of the world’s most recognised humanitarian symbols.
Uzbekistan Energy Week 2026 has opened in Tashkent, bringing together international energy companies, government officials and industry experts to discuss energy security, technological transformation and regional cooperation.
Japan’s first import of crude oil from Azerbaijan has highlighted the country’s energy vulnerability and renewed efforts to diversify supply chains beyond the Middle East, according to Professor Sejiro Takeshita of the University of Shizuoka.
A key border crossing between southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria reopened to limited civilian traffic on Tuesday after remaining closed since 2014 amid the Syrian conflict.
Three Afghan journalists have been detained by Afghan intelligence officials in Kabul, according to media support groups, raising fresh concerns about press freedom in Afghanistan.
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