BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 17. The first meeting of the FMs of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan took place in Kabul, during which a framework intergovernmental agreement was signed on the development of a feasibility study (FS) for the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trans-Afghan Railway project, Trend reports.
"Today’s first trilateral meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan marks a historic step forward in deepening mutual trust, good neighborliness, and regional cooperation.
The Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan signed a Trilateral Framework Agreement to develop a Feasibility Study for the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan Trans-Afghan Railway, a project of strategic significance for all of Eurasia. This corridor will enhance trade, support Afghanistan’s economic recovery, and open new access to global markets via the southern ports.
Uzbekistan reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening trade ties, expanding cooperation in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and construction, and increasing the use of the Termez International Trade Center", - Saidov noted.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan signed a roadmap for the construction of the Termez–Mazar-i-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar railway in February 2021.
According to the calculations of the project participants, with a preliminary cost of about $5 billion, the new transport corridor, with a transit potential of up to 20 million tons of cargo, should connect the countries of Europe, Russia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and further extend to the states of Southeast Asia.
