Uzbekistan and Afghanistan will expedite the taking effect of the preferential trade deal and significantly expand trade volumes, the Deputy PM Jamshid Khodjaev announced on his LinkedIn page.
He held talks with the acting Minister of Commerce and Industry of Afghanistan, Nooruddin Azizi, via teleconference talks.
According to the Deputy PM Khodjaev, over the past five years, trade between the two countries has increased 2.5-fold, from $653 million in 2021 to $1.68 billion in 2025 (of which Uzbek exports account for $1.5 billion). The next target is $5 billion.
The parties agreed to step up efforts to put into effect the preferential trade deal as soon as possible and to promote investment and industrial cooperation projects.
The talks also centered on developing ties between the provinces of the two countries, creating goods promotion infrastructure (showrooms, warehouses), cooperation in agricultural processing, construction materials and textile production, and food security.
After the month of Ramadan, the cooperation is planned to be put into practice: a business forum is scheduled to be held in Kabul, and with a roadmap for priority areas of cooperation to be drafted.
At a meeting between business leaders and ambassadors on January 17, the parties noted that despite Uzbekistan and Afghanistan signing the preferential trade agreement approximately two months ago, businesses (in particular, manufacturers of electrical equipment and carpets) have been complaining that the mechanism had not yet fully operational.
Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev then gave a directive the agreement to be launched within two weeks, so that Uzbek goods can enter the Afghan market without unnecessary duties.
