President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif shared their assessments of the negotiations during a meeting with media representatives on February 26, following bilateral talks in Tashkent.
The head of Uzbekistan noted that he discussed with his counterpart the development of transport connectivity, including the Trans-Afghan railway project Termez - Mazar-i-Sharif - Kabul - Peshawar, Gazeta.uz reports.
"As for our Trans-Afghan railway, we spoke openly and in detail about the existing challenges. We have agreed on ways to resolve them," President Mirziyoyev said on the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.
Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport, Ilkhom Makhkamov, stated in an interview with the channel that the visit focused primarily on transport and logistics issues.
"Today, Uzbekistan and Pakistan are connected by an international transport corridor passing through Afghanistan. This is the shortest route to South Asia," he noted.
The trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Pakistan exceeded $400 million in 2024. The two leaders agreed to increase it to $2 billion and establish a joint transport and logistics company.
"The leaders discussed the multimodal corridor project through Afghanistan. We plan to bring together transport companies from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan in Termez to discuss further development. Compared to 2022-2024, freight traffic through this corridor has grown significantly. However, improving infrastructure and roads in Afghanistan remains a key issue. Uzbekistan and Pakistan have agreed to work together to enhance infrastructure in Afghanistan," the Uzbek transport minister stated.
According to him, to fully utilize the potential of the multimodal corridor, a railway linking Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan is planned.
"This will serve as a strong foundation for the railway's construction. As cargo volumes increase, this project will become beneficial not only politically but also economically," Makhkamov said.
He also announced that both sides have agreed to allocate funds for a feasibility study on constructing a railway line from Mazar-i-Sharif (Afghanistan) to Kharlachi (Pakistan).
CentralasianLIGHT.org
February 27, 2025