Afghan and Uzbek businesses ink $20 million in trade agreements

Delegations from the private sectors of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan signed a cooperation agreement valued at over $20 million during a joint trade meeting held in Kabul on Sunday, Ariana News reported.

According to representatives of the Taliban government, these agreements are expected to boost trade and investment volumes between the two countries. Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce of Afghanistan, Nooruddin Azizi, stated that there are plans to increase the trade volume with Uzbekistan to $3 billion.

He noted that trade and economic ties between Afghanistan and Central Asian countries – particularly Uzbekistan – have reached an unprecedented level in the history of bilateral relations.

Oybek Usmonov, Uzbekistan’s ambassador to Kabul, also announced plans to further expand bilateral trade cooperation. According to him, the volume of trade between Kabul and Tashkent tripled in 2025.

“We are ready to increase trade volume to $2 billion in the coming years,” Usmonov said.

Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), urged both governments to provide greater consular support for businesspeople.

“Unless long-term, multiple-entry business visas and other essential consular services are made available, we will not witness broad expansion in trade,” he said. “We also call on the respective authorities to expedite the signing of the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement.”

Bahodir Toshmatov, Head of the Uzbekistan Exporters’ Chamber, also welcomed the meeting: “Trade relations between our two countries are expanding day by day. We’ve signed many commercial agreements under this partnership. This meeting is aimed at identifying new avenues for further engagement between the private sectors of both nations.”

The event was organized by the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment and brought together business leaders and traders from both countries. ACCI officials also noted that the establishment of a regional joint chamber could help link Afghanistan to European markets. They urged the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to give serious attention to this strategic opportunity.