The President of Uzbekistan approved the Preferential Trade Agreement with Afghanistan by decree, Gazeta.uz reports.
The Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade, as well as the Customs Committee under the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, have been appointed responsible for implementing the international agreement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instructed to notify the Afghan side of Uzbekistan's completion of the domestic procedures required for the entry into force of the international agreement.
The Preferential Trade Agreement between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, as well as the bilateral cooperation program in trade, economic, and industrial spheres for 2025-2026, were signed in Tashkent last June.
At the same time, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at a meeting with Acting Minister of Industry and Trade of Afghanistan Nuriddin Azizi, outlined the priority of strengthening the legal framework for economic cooperation with Kabul.
During recent talks, Afghan Minister and Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev agreed to expedite the launch of a preferential trade regime and advance investment and industrial cooperation projects.
Over the past five years, trade between the countries has increased 2.5-fold, from $653 million in 2021 to $1.68 billion in 2025 (of which Uzbekistan's exports account for $1.5 billion). The next target set by the two sides is $5 billion.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 13, 2026