Uzbekistan to station trade advisors in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria to expand export reach

Uzbekistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry plans to deploy trade advisors to Iraq and Syria as part of a broader strategy to unlock new export markets, Trend reported, citing the Chamber.

The initiative was announced by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during an extraordinary meeting of the Samarkand Regional Council of People’s Deputies. He noted that Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan together represent around $30 billion in demand for products such as electrical equipment, textiles, food, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and construction materials. Despite this potential, he said Uzbek agencies and regional authorities have yet to make significant inroads in promoting the country’s goods in these markets.

To strengthen its regional trade presence, Uzbekistan will open a branch of the Uzbekistan Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, by the end of the year. At least 100 types of Uzbek products are expected to be traded through the new platform.

Mirziyoyev also called for attracting 100 major Iraqi entrepreneurs to Samarkand and organizing an “Uzbekistan–Iraq” business forum to deepen commercial ties.

Beginning next year, Uzbekistan will station three trade advisors in Iraq and two in Syria to support exporters and expand commercial outreach.

With a population of 46 million and annual imports totaling $53 billion, Iraq is viewed as a significant growth market for Uzbek producers. The country imports about $3 billion worth of textiles, carpets, and leather goods each year; around $4 billion in food and construction materials; roughly $3 billion in electrical equipment; as well as $1.2 billion in furniture and $2 billion in pharmaceuticals.