Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — During his visit to Uzbekistan, Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, held a second joint meeting with Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjayev on 22 February 2025. The Afghan government stated on the meeting.

During the negotiations, the parties discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation across various economic sectors. Speaking at the meeting, Mullah Baradar Akhund emphasized the deep religious, historical, cultural, and ethnic ties between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, which have contributed to the strengthening of their political and economic relations over the centuries. He noted the stable growth in trade relations between the two countries and stressed the need to continue working together to further develop these ties.

The Afghan Deputy Prime Minister highlighted several key issues requiring attention to deepen bilateral trade and economic cooperation. These included simplifying banking operations with the support of Uzbekistan’s Central Bank, strengthening Afghanistan’s banking sector with assistance from Tashkent, using national currencies in mutual trade, accelerating the integration of customs systems at the border, creating favorable logistics conditions for Afghan entrepreneurs in transporting goods, removing trade and licensing barriers, facilitating the visa issuance process, and implementing agreements in the hydrocarbons and mineral resource sectors.

Special attention was given to the 500 kV power transmission project and the Afghan-Trans initiative. Mullah Baradar Akhund urged the Uzbek side to expedite their implementation, assuring that the Islamic Emirate would provide full support for their realization. He also invited Uzbek investors to explore opportunities in various sectors of Afghanistan’s economy, promising comprehensive assistance in creating the necessary conditions for their operations.

In response, Jamshid Khodjayev reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s readiness to cooperate on all outlined areas and emphasized Tashkent’s interest in actively engaging with Kabul in all economic spheres. He noted that technical committees from both countries would continue working on issues related to trade, transit, investments in the mining and industrial sectors, the development of Afghanistan’s railway infrastructure, banking cooperation, and other economic initiatives.