Between January and June 2025, the number of foreign nationals entering Uzbekistan for business purposes increased 3.4 times compared to the same period last year, reaching 223,600 people. This is according to a report by the National Committee of Statistics of Uzbekistan, as cited by Gazeta.uz.
A significant majority of these business trips were made by Afghan citizens — 207,500 individuals in just six months. In comparison, only 1,569 Afghans entered Uzbekistan for business reasons during the first half of 2024. This marks a staggering 132-fold increase in business visits from Afghanistan year-on-year.
Tajikistan and Turkmenistan followed in second and third place, respectively. However, both countries saw a decline in business-related arrivals: 12,200 Tajik citizens visited (a 1.8-fold decrease), and 1,642 Turkmen nationals came (23 times fewer than the same period last year).
Experts attribute the sharp rise in Afghan business travelers to the opening of the Termez International Trade Center in August 2024. Located in the Surkhandarya region near the Afghan border, the center spans 260,000 square meters and offers duty-free trade facilities. It also includes a four-star hotel with 300 beds, a medical center, and a special visa regime that allows businesspeople working within the center to stay in Uzbekistan visa-free for up to 15 days. The center accepts multiple currencies, including US dollars, euros, Russian rubles, and Chinese yuan.
Also operating in the region is the Termez Cargo Center, an international logistics hub that plays a key role in delivering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
According to analysts, the dramatic growth in business ties between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan highlights the increasing importance of cross-border economic cooperation and reinforces the role of Uzbekistan’s southern regions as a vital transit and trade hub for the region.
CentralAsianLIGHT.org
August 6, 2025