Uzbekistan issues 5,000 visas to Afghan citizens this year

Afghan and Uzbek officials, in separate meetings in Kabul, emphasized expanding economic, transit, and agricultural cooperation, facilitating visa issuance, and implementing joint projects between the two countries.

Jamshid Khodjayev, Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister, said during a meeting with Ahmad Jan Bilal, Director General of State-Owned Companies and CEO of the National Development Corporation, that Uzbekistan has issued 5,000 visas to Afghan citizens so far this year and is working to further simplify the visa issuance process.

Khodjayev added that the high-level Uzbek delegation had traveled to Kabul with a strong commitment to expanding bilateral relations. He also announced that the feasibility study for the Afghan-Trans project has been completed and said a Uzbek technical team will remain in Kabul to coordinate the export of Afghanistan’s fresh fruit.

He said Uzbekistan has committed to purchasing 100,000 tonnes of cotton from Afghan farmers and will also cooperate in supplying chemical fertilizers, improved seeds, and encouraging Uzbek investors to participate in Afghanistan’s infrastructure and development projects.

Ahmad Jan Bilal, meanwhile, said bilateral ties continue to strengthen, noting that trade between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan reached nearly $2 billion over the past year. He called for greater facilitation of business and tourist visas, expanded exports of Afghan fresh fruit to Central Asia, faster implementation of the Afghan-Trans project, and stronger cooperation in the textile industry.

Meanwhile, Acting Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mullah Mohammad Fazel Mazloom met with Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport, Ilhom Makhkamov, to discuss expanding transport and transit cooperation. The Uzbek minister pledged to provide greater facilities to increase the movement of Afghan transit vehicles into Uzbekistan.

Separately, Acting Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Ataullah Omari invited Uzbek investors to invest in Afghanistan’s agriculture and livestock sectors during a meeting with the Uzbek deputy prime minister.

Khodjayev also expressed interest in investing in Afghanistan’s agricultural sector and farm machinery, saying Uzbekistan needs Afghan agricultural products, including cotton, potatoes, and other produce, and is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in expanding production and processing.

The two sides agreed to establish a joint technical team to follow up on and implement the agreements reached in the agricultural sector.