Afghanistan, Uzbekistan to sign power transmission contract

Acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov have agreed on an electricity transmission contract between the two countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday.

“The two sides agreed on the signing of a power transmission agreement between Breshna Shirkat and the Uzbek Ministry of Energy, as well as expanding cooperation in trade and transport,” the statement said.

Abdulaziz Kamilov said: “We hope that this historic trip will further enhance political and economic cooperation between the two countries and strengthen our relations in the fields of trade, transport, electricity, and energy.”

According to the statement, the two sides discussed the importance of reconciliation in Afghanistan and the role of Uzbekistan in promoting peace and building regional consensus.

Kamilov emphasized Uzbekistan’s support for an Afghan-led and owned peace process and the position of the Afghan government.

“We hope to see the immediate start of negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban,” he added.

Atmar, who headed a high-level Afghan delegation to Tashkent for a two-day official visit, has informed Kamilov about the need for an early start of peace talks, preservation of the Islamic Republic, and the achievements of the past 19 years to ensure a lasting peace.

Atmar assured his Uzbek counterpart that Afghanistan had a strong will to strengthen and expand relations with Uzbekistan.

“We want to improve political, economic, and cultural relations with our friendly neighboring country, Uzbekistan,” Atmar noted.

“In closing, both sides agreed on a roadmap aimed at unifying the views of the leaders of the two countries in order to develop and expand long-term relations,” the statement concluded.