Business leaders from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral trade and investment, focusing on improved logistics, digital commerce, and closer cooperation between the private sectors of the two neighboring countries.

According to a statement issued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, nearly 50 business representatives from both countries participated in an open dialogue aimed at addressing challenges facing entrepreneurs and identifying new opportunities for economic cooperation.

The meeting was attended by Sukhrob Abdurakhmanov, Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, and Sayed Karim Hashimi, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI).

Participants discussed key issues affecting business operations, explored ways to expand commercial partnerships, and exchanged views on measures to strengthen economic ties between the two countries.

Both sides stressed the importance of enhancing the effectiveness of the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan Business Council and introducing practical mechanisms to promptly resolve challenges facing private-sector companies.

A proposal was also presented to establish a trade warehouse and logistics center for Uzbek products in Afghanistan’s Naimabad region. Participants said the initiative could reduce transportation costs, shorten delivery times, and increase the volume of bilateral trade.

The discussions also highlighted the growing role of digital commerce, with both sides encouraging wider use of the Yarmarka.uzex.uz electronic trading platform to facilitate trade transactions, promote products, expand marketing opportunities, and strengthen transparent business relations.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides agreed to continue working together to remove trade barriers, expand investment opportunities, and create a more favorable business environment for companies operating in both Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.

The talks underscore the two countries’ continued efforts to deepen economic engagement through improved cross-border logistics, digital trade solutions, and stronger business-to-business cooperation, with the proposed logistics hub expected to play a key role in boosting regional connectivity and commercial exchange.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has signed a contract for the development of the Aibak Cement Project in Feroz Nakhchir district of Samangan province, marking a significant investment in the country’s industrial sector.

The agreement, valued at $67 million, was signed on Thursday between Hedayatullah Badri, Minister of Mines and Petroleum, and Aibak Cement Company, according to a statement issued by the ministry.

Under the terms of the contract, the company will pay a royalty of 200 Afghanis to the government for every ton of cement produced. The project has been awarded for a period of 30 years, subject to the company’s compliance with Afghanistan’s mining laws, regulations and contractual obligations.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Badri said the project is expected to create employment opportunities for around 600 Afghans and contribute to the country’s economic development.

He added that the company has committed to investing approximately $1 million in social development initiatives during the contract period.

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said the plant will have a production capacity of 1,200 tons of cement per day.

The project is part of broader efforts to attract investment into Afghanistan’s mining and industrial industries and expand local production capacity.

A record 45% of the reserve managers surveyed by the World Gold Council, up 2 percentage points from a year ago, expect to increase their ​own institutions’ gold holdings over the next 12 months, the international organization ‌said on Tuesday.

The majority — 54% of 74 central banks that responded to the WGC’s annual survey, conducted between February 5 and May 19 — said their holdings would remain unchanged, while 1% anticipated a ​decline, Reuters reported.

Most responses were received after the start of the Middle East conflict in ​late February, which triggered a rally in oil prices and drove gold ⁠prices down.

Central banks remain keen on gold, and the recent price fall has not ​changed their minds, said Shaokai Fan, head of the central banks sector at the ​WGC.

The U.S. and Iran agreed over the weekend on terms to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a 3% rise in gold prices on Monday.

Gold demand from central banks will ​slow down by 15% year-on-year in 2026 in tonnage terms, according to consultancy Metals Focus, ​but remain above pre-2022 levels, a consistently supportive factor for the market.

The WGC said 93% of ‌respondents ⁠reported already holding gold, up from 81% a year ago.

Among the drivers for gold ownership, a record 90% of respondents cited its performance during times of crisis. The top answers also included long-term store of value and portfolio diversification. Gold’s role as a ​geopolitical risk hedge was ​favoured among emerging ⁠market and developing economy respondents (85%).

As some central banks continued relocating their gold, 9% of respondents said they had increased domestic storage ​in the past 12 months, up from 5% last year, and ​10% said ⁠they had diversified their overseas storage locations, up from 2%.

Within 12 months, 7% plan to increase domestic storage and 9% plan to diversify overseas locations.

The WGC did not ask ⁠central banks ​to specify where their gold came from in ​cases of repatriation.

However, its research showed that the Bank of England remains the most popular vaulting location, followed ​by domestic storage and the Bank for International Settlements.