TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, July 18. Baxtiyor Saidov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, held a meeting with Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Trend reports.
“We discussed expanding trade, humanitarian cooperation, and connectivity, including the signing of a Framework Agreement for the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan railway — a vital step toward regional integration,” Baxtiyor Saidov wrote on his social media platform.
“The Government of Uzbekistan stands ready to strengthen cooperation in infrastructure, logistics, energy, and education. We believe that Afghanistan should serve as a bridge between Central and South Asia,” he added.
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 project estimates, the new transport corridor — with a preliminary cost of around $5 billion and a transit potential of up to 20 million tons of cargo — is expected to connect the countries of Europe, Russia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and eventually reach the states of Southeast Asia.