The Taliban's Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that Afghan and Uzbek traders signed 22 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth over $200 million during the "Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Business Forum" in Kabul.
The ministry announced the signing of these agreements in a statement on Monday, July 27, but did not provide details regarding their specific contents or the sectors covered by the agreements.
Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban's Minister of Industry and Commerce, expressed hope during the meeting that the trade volume between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan would increase to $5 billion in the future. He noted that achieving this target requires expanding economic and commercial cooperation as well as joint efforts from both sides.
According to Azizi, 10,000 metric tons of cotton have already been exported from Afghanistan to Uzbekistan on a trial basis. He added that Uzbekistan has committed to purchasing an additional 100,000 metric tons of cotton from Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Jamshid Khodjaev, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, emphasized in his speech the necessity of creating further opportunities to expand economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
Khodjaev arrived in Kabul two days ago at the head of a delegation representing the Uzbek government and private sector. According to Taliban officials, the delegation includes 300 Uzbek business representatives.
According to the Taliban, members of the delegation met with senior officials of the regime to discuss expanding bilateral relations in the fields of economy and trade, as well as fulfilling mutual commitments between both sides.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
