Business
Uzbekistan-Afghanistan joint trade zone to be established
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.
Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi says Afghanistan has the potential to become one of the most important industrial centers in the region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the national and international expo on the occasion of Industry Week, Hanafi said that the growth of industry lays the foundation for the growth of other economic sectors and that the Islamic Emirate fully supports domestic production in the country.
“Afghanistan has important and rich factors for industrial production, which can become one of the important industrial centers in the region. The growth of industry will be the basis for the growth of other economic sectors, especially agriculture,” said Hanafi.
Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, added that the IEA has programs in the fields of industry development and support for the private sector that will make Afghanistan self-sufficient.
Azizi stated that Afghanistan’s industrial sector is currently progressing and the quality of export goods has also improved.
Some investors said at the ceremony that after the return of the IEA, the country’s exports have increased and the number of manufacturing companies has also increased.
This expo is open to visitors for seven days, and industrial products are showcased in 450 booths.
Women in business also attended the meeting.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed on the issuance of a temporary admission document for transporters of commercial goods, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Transport and Aviation announced on Sunday.
The ministry said in an announcement that truck drivers and their assistants carrying commercial goods from Afghanistan and Pakistan must have this document with them at the crossings.
Based on the announcement, the document will be issued to Afghans at the Pakistani embassy in Kabul and its consulate in Kandahar.
For Pakistanis, the document is distributed at the office of the Afghanistan transport attaché in Peshawar and Quetta.
The Ministry of Transportation and Aviation asked owners and drivers of trucks to submit the required documents to their respective transportation companies by June 1.
The ministry warned that after June 1, trucks cannot travel between the two countries without having the temporary admission document.
Pakistani officials have announced that consultations are underway with stakeholders on preferential trade agreements with Afghanistan and Azerbaijan.
According to Dawn newspaper, the issue was announced on Friday in a meeting on trade chaired by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
In the meeting, the strict monitoring of Afghan Transit Trade was also emphasized.
Pakistani officials have not provided further details on preferential trade with Afghanistan and Azerbaijan.
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