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.
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