Kazakhstan asks Uzbekistan for tariff preferences for transit of goods to Afghanistan

The participants reviewed the progress in the implementation of joint projects, investment agreements and trade contracts planned for implementation following negotiations between the presidents of the two countries in December 2022, the press service of the Kazakh government reported.

“Deputy Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Serik Jumangarin and Jamshid Khodjayev noted the active promotion of individual projects of joint roadmaps and discussed ways to solve emerging barriers in improving the effectiveness of partnerships,” the report reads.

At the working meeting, in order to increase the efficiency of interaction, the participants discussed the possibility of increasing the throughput capacity of border points, increasing tariffs for the transportation of Kazakh coal to Uzbekistan, and activating the multimodal transport route “China-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran”.

Particular attention was paid to discussing the possibility of reducing tariffs for the transit of Kazakh flour products through the territory of Uzbekistan. The volume of flour exports from Kazakhstan to Afghanistan through the territory of Uzbekistan at a historical maximum in 2017 reached 1,209 thousand tons. In subsequent years, this figure decreased significantly: in 2021 – 536 thousand tons, in 2022 – 816 thousand tons. For 6 months of the current year – only 275 thousand tons.

“Given the significant potential of our country for the export of flour to Afghanistan, the Kazakh side turned to the Uzbek side with a request to consider the possibility of granting tariff preferences to the base tariff for transit transportation through Uzbekistan to Afghanistan by rail,” the press service of the government said.

The meeting participants agreed to establish a joint expert working group to discuss favorable tariff conditions for rail transportation and develop specific proposals.