Afghanistan and Uzbekistan signed 22 trade memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth more than $200 million during the Afghan-Uzbek Business Forum held in Kabul, as the two countries pledged to expand economic cooperation and boost bilateral trade.

The forum brought together Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi, Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjayev, Afghanistan’s ministers of Mines and Transport, the governors of Uzbekistan’s Fergana and Tashkent regions, business leaders, and representatives of the private sector from both countries.

Addressing the gathering, Azizi said relations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan had reached a new high following the visit of a high-level Uzbek delegation accompanied by around 300 private-sector representatives.

He said both countries aim to increase bilateral trade to $5 billion, adding that achieving this goal would require closer economic and commercial cooperation.

Azizi also highlighted investment opportunities in Afghanistan, saying the return of Afghan migrants has increased the need for job creation. He encouraged investors from both countries to invest in Afghanistan.

The minister said about 10,000 tonnes of Afghan cotton had already been exported to Uzbekistan on a trial basis and announced that Uzbekistan has committed to purchasing 100,000 tonnes of Afghan cotton.

Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjayev welcomed the growing ties between the two countries, describing Afghanistan as a country undergoing significant development through major infrastructure projects.

He said Uzbekistan has introduced measures to facilitate trade, including opening new transport routes, offering preferential tariffs, accelerating cargo movement, and establishing logistics centers to support cross-border commerce.

Khodjayev added that Afghanistan’s economic potential could play an important role in expanding trade relations between the two neighboring countries.

The forum also featured remarks from Sayed Karim Hashemi, chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, and the governor of Uzbekistan’s Fergana region, who both emphasized the importance of strengthening economic and trade cooperation.

The event concluded with the signing of 22 trade agreements worth more than $200 million between private-sector representatives from Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, the leader of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, has said that the situation in Afghanistan is better than in Pakistan and that Pakistan is facing a difficult path.

Speaking at a gathering, Fazl-ur-Rehman said Pakistan has become isolated in the region and is facing tensions with both India, its long-time rival, and Afghanistan. He stressed that the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan benefits neither country and should come to an end.

He called on both sides to avoid accusations and propaganda against each other, saying: “Stop the propaganda. One side says it is innocent, and the other says the same. One says it is fighting in self-defence, and the other makes the same claim. These things do not solve the problem.”

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader added that his party is ready to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but said an appropriate environment must first be created for such a process.

He also said Western countries are unhappy with the return of the Islamic Emirate to power in Afghanistan and that Pakistan should not shape its policies according to their demands.

Referring to Pakistan’s attacks on Afghanistan, Fazl-ur-Rehman said: “There are armed groups inside Pakistan, but you go and bomb Afghanistan. First deal with what is happening at home, then make decisions about outside.”

He added that the time for using “victimhood” to justify war has passed and urged Pakistani authorities to reconsider their policies.