Uzbekistan’s delegation, during a meeting with Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the political deputy of the Prime Minister's Office, said that the volume of transportation and trade cooperation between Kabul and Tashkent has increased sevenfold.

This delegation, which arrived in Kabul yesterday (Sunday), also met with various officials of the Islamic Emirate, including the acting ministers of Industry and Commerce, Transport and Civil Aviation, and the acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum.

During the meeting with the political deputy of the Prime Minister, the delegation mentioned that the expansion of trade relations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, the initiation of practical work on concluded agreements, new investments by the private sector and the Uzbek government in Afghanistan, and the signing of new agreements, are among the goals of their trip to Kabul.

In their meeting with the acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum, the delegation also discussed investments in mining, particularly in coal, electricity generation, and cement production.

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum's spokesman Humayun Afghan, told TOLOnews: "This delegation, which includes the head of the Uzbek mining company, discussed investments in the mining extraction sector, oil and gas exploration, their standard processing, and the establishment of factories."

The Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan, in meetings with the acting ministers of Transport and Civil Aviation and Industry and Commerce, discussed reducing transportation costs between the two countries, 24-hour services at Hairatan port, facilitating visa issuance for Afghan drivers, and the implementation of the Trans-Afghan project. 
The Uzbek delegation also visited the national and international industrial exhibition week in Kabul.

Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, said: "Nooruddin Azizi added that since the productions of the two countries are quite similar; therefore, it is necessary to explore new markets in Central Asia, South Asia, and other countries."

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce and Investment sees the arrival of the Uzbek delegation as important for expanding trade and investment relations in the country.

Mohammad Younus Momand, the First Deputy of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said: "Uzbekistan is one of our very good neighbors and is both a transit route for our exports and a good transit route for imports, both to China and Russia."

Earlier, representatives from regional countries including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Pakistan have come to Afghanistan and discussed the development of trade and transit with officials of the Islamic Emirate.