Uzbekistan expects to resume trade relations with Afghanistan

Trade-economic ties between Tashkent and Kabul should be restored soon, despite the escalation of the political situation in Afghanistan. Nodirbek Jalilov, director of “Termez Cargo Center”, the largest logistics terminal in southern Uzbekistan, told TASS on Tuesday.

“I am confident that in the coming weeks the volume of trade between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan will not only recover, but may increase,” Jalilov said. According to him, trade with Afghanistan has been greatly affected by the corruption of the country’s officials.

“Under Ashraf Ghani, corruption has permeated all sectors, especially international shipping. Usually here, at the Termez-Hayraton checkpoint, exporters and transit officials paid all customs duties, but then, while passing through Afghanistan, they were charged 3 or 4 more times,” Jalilov explained. He said the Taliban had cracked down on such cases of corruption during the previous regime.
 
According to Jalilov, up to 5 million tons of various cargoes were transported annually through the checkpoint on the Termez-Hayraton bridge, about 70% of which was transported to Pakistani ports via Afghanistan. Uzbekistan mainly supplied fuel and lubricants to Afghanistan, while Afghanistan transported its dried fruits to Europe via Uzbekistan.

In late July, Jurabek Turayev, the deputy khokim of Surkhandarya region, told TASS that Afghanistan is a serious trade-economic partner of the border region. Currently, more than 180 Uzbek-Afghan joint ventures operate in the region.

The Taliban conquered Kabul without a fight on August 15 and took full control of the Afghan capital within hours. The President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani has announced that he has resigned and left the country to avoid bloodshed. Western countries are evacuating their citizens and embassy staff. According to Taliban representatives, the war in the country is over. However, experts say it is too early to talk about any stability and economic recovery, as evidenced by the constant influx of refugees from Afghanistan.