Khokim of Surkhandarya region pays a working visit to Afghanistan

The delegation of Surkhandarya region headed by the regional khokim Bakhodir Pulatov departed for Balkh province (Afghanistan), the press service of the regional khokimiyat reports.

Balkh is one of the 34 provinces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The administrative center of the province is Mazar-i-Sharif city with population about 700,000 people. It is the only province of Afghanistan, which shares a common border with Uzbekistan.

Balkh Province is one of the largest economic centers in the northern Afghanistan. The main part of the provincial economy is agriculture, including melon growing, vegetable growing and cotton growing. Also karakul growing has a significant share in the economy of the province. The industry is very poorly developed. Basically, it is represented by small enterprises for the extraction of small amounts of oil and natural gas. Balkh is most often called the northern gateway of Afghanistan since it borders with Uzbekistan. Additionally, the Friendship Bridge “Khayraton” is located in this province which connects Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Central Asia by road and railway.