Tehran- IRAF- the press office of the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today (Sunday, February 22) that Amir Khan Mottaqi, Acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban, spoke by phone with Bakhtiyor Saidov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and emphasized expanding relations at high levels.
One of the key topics of discussion between Kabul and Tashkent focused on major regional projects.
During the call, Amir Khan Mottaqi expressed readiness to increase political consultations and economic cooperation between the two countries at both senior and mid-level officials throughout the year.
According to Uzbekistan’s foreign minister, feasibility studies for the strategic “Afghan-Trans” railway project will begin soon.
Kabul–Tashkent Relations in a “Very Favorable” Position
During the conversation, Bakhtiyor Saidov, referring to the growing trend in relations between the two countries, described the current state of bilateral ties as being “in a very favorable position.”
The Uzbek foreign minister reaffirmed his country’s determination to further expand cooperation with Afghanistan and acknowledged that significant progress has been made in trade relations.
He added that feasibility studies for the strategic Afghan-Trans railway project would commence shortly.
This project, considered one of the key regional initiatives to connect Central Asia to South Asian ports via Afghanistan, could, if implemented, significantly strengthen Afghanistan’s role in regional transit and play an important role in the economies of both countries and their neighbors.
Recently, a joint Afghanistan–Uzbekistan trade conference was held in Kabul aimed at increasing commercial exchanges and addressing bilateral needs. During the meeting, 25 memoranda of understanding worth more than $300 million were approved across various sectors, including construction, food products, and agriculture.
In recent years, the Taliban and Uzbekistan have sought to expand cooperation in economic, energy, and transit sectors.
