Regional connectivity projects including the Termez-Kabul railway line, the Trans-Afghan Railway, and the multimodal Belarus-Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan transport corridor, are key to the region’s success, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan Alisher Tukhtayev said during a meeting with Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday.

The two officials discussed a range of issues as well as coordinating efforts to ensure stability and deepen economic integration in the region.

Asif however pointed out that Tashkent has become an important hub for regional cooperation, Pakistani media reported Monday.

Special focus was given to the implementation of the Trans-Afghan Railway project, which is expected to serve as a powerful stimulus for trade-economic integration to numerous countries.

The ambassador said the governments of Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are actively cooperating in the implementation of joint economic and infrastructure projects and one of them is the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway.

He said the “Termez-Kabul-Peshawar” railway project plays an important role in restoring ties of regional connectivity between Central and South Asia.

He added that once the project is launched, the volume of trade will increase significantly and shipping costs will decrease.

Tukhtayev said the railway connectivity will contribute hugely to regional stability and overall prosperity by aiding Afghanistan’s economic recovery.

He also said the project will facilitate the delivery of Uzbek goods to world markets through Pakistani ports and will open up a new route for Pakistan to export its products to Central Asian, and European markets.

According to him, the Trans-Afghan railway will be able to carry up to 20 million tons of cargo per year, and transportation costs will decrease by 30-35% and timing of deliveries will be cut from two weeks to three to four days.

He also stated that the international cooperation project on the development of the multimodal transport corridor Belarus-Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan–Pakistan is being actively promoted.

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Pakistan's exports to Afghanistan increased to more than $291 million in the four months between July and October this year, the State Bank of Pakistan reported.

Pakistan's exports to Afghanistan were worth about $182 million in the same period last year, according to SBP.

Pakistan's exports to seven countries in the region, including Afghanistan, have increased by about 4 percent, it said. Other countries are: China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Maldives.

This comes as recently, Senior Vice President of Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, expressed his deep concern over drastic reduction in the bilateral trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries.

He said in the recent past the volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan was around 2.5 billion dollars which has shrunk to mere 700 million dollars.

Senior Vice President of Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, on Wednesday expressed his deep concern over drastic reduction in the bilateral trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries.

In a press statement, Sarhadi who is also Executive Member Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry blames enforcement of two percent Infrastructure Development Cess by Khyber Government on export cargo as one of the reason for recent dip in trade between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics, Pakistani media reported.

He said in the recent past the volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan was around 2.5 billion dollars which has shrunk to mere 700 million dollars.

Citing other reasons behind this plunge in trade volume, Zia said it includes frequent closure of Pak-Afghan border at Torkhem border, Temporary Admission Document, implementation of ban on Pak-Afghan trade including 100 percent bank guarantee, inclusion of 14 items into negative list, enforcement of 10 percent processing fees, restrictions at Karachi port causing holding of more than 300 containers of transit trade.