Uzbekistan does not exclude the possibility of signing a free trade agreement with Pakistan, Spot reports referring to the Daily Times.

This was announced by the Uzbek Ambassador to Pakistan Oybek Arif Usmanov. According to him, the agreement will be more effective as a tripartite one, subject to the participation of Afghanistan.

There are already agreements on preferential trade and transit trade between Uzbekistan and Pakistan. Thanks to them, bilateral trade is growing – in 2021 alone it amounted to $185 million, the diplomat stressed.

Now deliveries of goods are carried out mainly by road. At the same time, work is underway to create a Trans-Afghan railway, which will connect the three countries and give them access to foreign markets.

The free trade agreement will contribute to deepening the economic integration of the countries of Central and South Asia. Thanks to it, the volume of regional trade will increase, in which transport routes will play an important role.

Following this, it will be possible to promote interregional trade. The Central Asian and South Asian countries will form a common economic bloc, Usmanov added.