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Uzbekistan-Afghanistan joint trade zone to be established

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(Last Updated On: August 26, 2022)

Officials in Balkh province said plans are underway to establish a trade zone within two months in the border area of Balkh province and Surhandarya province of Uzbekistan.

Officials said 120 acres of land would be utilized and the cost would be $75 million.

The plan to create a joint trade zone was signed between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan last year in order to expand economic relations and support Afghan businessmen.

Uzbek officials involved in the Afghan-Uzbek joint trade zone, said: “Under the guidance of our president and understanding with the Afghan government, we are trying to establish a joint trade zone between the border of the two countries in order to increase economic relations, increase imports and exports between the two countries. And also to provide the introduction of Afghanistan’s domestic products abroad.”

The trade zone will ultimately allow Afghan business owners to network and trade without visas. Afghan products will also be available to Uzbek traders.

A number of businessmen in Balkh province consider the establishment of this zone as a window of hope for the country’s economy.

“The establishment of this market is good for both countries, it will continue to promote the business of businessmen of the two countries, and the relations between the two neighbors will continue to improve with the establishment of this zone,” said Miwand Ziyai, an investor.

“I am very happy that a joint trade zone is being established and this shows the good relations between the neighboring countries and we are trying to develop these relations because the creation of this zone is good for the national businesses of both countries,” said Afzal Daulatzai, another investor.

“Economically, it plays an important and fundamental role in the field of trade, and we can sell the products we have in this market. Wherever economic activity takes place, it is natural that its benefit reaches both countries, people and economy,” said Sultan Mohammad Tokhi, a resident of Balkh Province.

Local officials in Balkh also say that the creation of a joint trade zone will lead to the development of trade between the two countries.

“A joint trade zone will be created between the border of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, and this joint zone has good effects on culture, social communication and also in the economic sector,” Zabihullah Noorani, said head of information and culture of Balkh.

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Afghanistan, Pakistan agree to abandon barter trade, establish banking relationships

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to abandon barter trade and to establish banking relationships during the two-day talks in Kabul, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced late Thursday.

The agreement came during talks between Afghan delegation led by Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, and the Pakistani delegation led by Federal Secretary of Commerce Muhammad Khurram Agha.

It was agreed that the Pakistani side will facilitate the transfer of goods from international containers to regional containers in the ports of Karachi in the next six months, Mujahid said in a statement.

An agreement was made regarding preferential trade, where both sides will give tariff preferences to those 10 items of export goods, 8 of which are agricultural and 2 items are industrial.

The sides agreed on a temporary free license for truck traffic for one year as a trial period, which will be implemented from May 2024.

They also reached an agreement regarding the transfer of goods through the airports of the two countries in the form of multi-modal air transit, which will start in the next two months.

As part of Pakistan’s recent measures regarding Afghanistan’s transit goods, it was agreed that within a week, the mandatory bank guarantee should be removed and insurance should be used as before, in consultation with the parties, the necessary measures will be taken to remove other obstacles.

The export of coal from Afghanistan to Pakistan was also discussed and the Pakistani side expressed its readiness to buy it at the international price, according to the statement.

Earlier Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires for Afghanistan, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani said in a video message on Wednesday that the recent trade talks in Kabul had been “successful” and that he hoped this would give fresh impetus to bilateral trade between the two countries.

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Pakistan’s commerce delegation wraps up ‘successful’ trip to Kabul

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(Last Updated On: March 28, 2024)

Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires for Afghanistan, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani said in a video message on Wednesday that the recent talks between Islamabad’s commerce delegation and Afghan officials had been “successful” and that he hoped this would give fresh impetus to bilateral trade between the two countries.

“I’m happy to report that this was a successful visit and both sides have agreed to work together for mutual benefit on a number of areas.

“They will facilitate transit, they will facilitate bilateral trade and they will take all possible measures that create an environment for continuous and productive trade and economic relations between the two countries,” he said.

The delegation, led by Commerce Ministry Secretary Khurram Agha, arrived in Kabul on Monday and had numerous talks on various issues with Islamic Emirate officials.

The visit came amid deteriorating bilateral relations following several suicide attacks in Pakistan in the last couple of months that Islamabad attributes to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, a group they claim is based in Afghanistan.

Diplomatic tensions between the two countries over the last few months have led to economic losses, as key border crossings for trade and travel have closed intermittently, resulting in goods trucks being held up at border posts.

Afghanistan’s Minister for Industry and Commerce Nurudin Azizi meanwhile said the IEA had held fruitful negotiations in a cordial environment with the visiting delegation.

“We discussed in detail with the Pakistani side specific issues related to heavy transport vehicles that will be resolved,” he said.

“We will achieve positive results as our discussions remained productive.”

Azizi said Afghanistan expected to sign a formal agreement with Pakistan within six months, allowing Pakistani trucks to enter Afghanistan and travel to the Central Asian states and Afghan trucks to go all the way to the Pakistani port cities of Karachi and Gwadar.

Apart from discussing trade-related issues, the two sides also focused on movement of passengers, patients and businesspeople across their common border during these talks.

Azizi noted uninterrupted trade and business between Kabul and Islamabad would play a significant role in creating a peaceful environment between the two countries and facilitate their economic development.

He said the two sides also pledged to enhance their existing trade volume, adding that both countries could become ideal markets for each other if they did not allow business to be affected by any geopolitical tensions.

Azizi also said Afghanistan could export agricultural products to China and other countries via Pakistan’s ports and cities.

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Turkey’s 77 keen to start up cement plant in Jawzjan

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(Last Updated On: March 27, 2024)

Turkish construction company 77 officials have met with the acting minister of mines and petroleum, Shahabuddin Delawar, about investing in a cement factory in Yatim Taq area of Jawzjan province.

The minister, Shahabuddin Dalawar, has said the ministry will cooperate with the company but first needs a proposal, including details around how they plan to implement the project as well as social development plans.

Turkey’s 77 company has been working on electricity generation projects in Afghanistan for several years.

A number of industrialists say that if more investment is made in the cement production sector, not only will domestic demand be met, but the country’s cement will also be exported.

At the moment, cement is being produced by private companies in the provinces of Kandahar, Parwan and Herat.

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