Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry Nooruddin Azizi and Uzbekistan officials have agreed to establish a joint chamber of commerce between the two countries.

Aziz, who is on a visit to Uzbekistan, met with the deputy prime minister Jamshid Khodjaev on Tuesday and other officials for talks on boosting relations and trade between the neighboring countries.

Also in the meeting were Uzbekistan’s minister of investment, industry and trade; the ministers of transport, mining and water resources, along with customs officials and others.

The expansion of trade and transit was discussed in this meeting; the balancing of trade between the two countries including a preferential trade agreement in favor of Afghanistan; finalizing investment and transit agreements; issues around the developing railway sector between the two countries and the Surkhan-Pul-Khumri power line.

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Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi has traveled to Uzbekistan to inaugurate an expo of Afghan products in Tashkent.

Azizi will also participate in a business forum.

Before leaving Kabul, Azizi said that he will discuss the expansion of economic relations, including trade, investment and attracting regional cooperation with the Uzbek authorities.

“During this trip, we want to have more business plans with the Republic of Uzbekistan. Thanks to Allah, there is capacity, there is ability. We hope that our trip will have a good result,” Azizi said.

A coal sales contract is also expected to be signed with Uzbekistan.

“We have discussed with Uzbekistan about the export of approximately one million tons of coal. Uzbekistan has agreed and they worked on the mechanism and we also worked. I am sure that we have made good progress in this field and we are trying to ink a contract with Uzbekistan for one million tons or more,” Azizi said.

Two hundred and fifty Afghan businessmen and investors are expected to participate in the expo of domestic products of Afghanistan in Tashkent.

“They (Uzbeks) have pledged to cooperate with Afghanistan in the areas of electricity and coal export. This expo will play an important role for Afghanistan’s economy, and the two sides will sign agreements,” Mohammad Yunus Mohmand, deputy of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said.

The three-day expo will showcase mostly carpets, handicrafts, precious and semi-precious stones and dried fruits.

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A three-day expo for Afghan products to be held in Uzbekistan

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The Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that an expo of Afghanistan’s domestic products will open on Tuesday in the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent.

The ministry said in a statement that the expo will be held under the Islamic Emirate’s economic policies and it aims to strengthen and expand economic, trade, transit, and investment relations between Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, market the country’s products in foreign markets, provide the necessary facilities for the private sector and strengthen business activities abroad.

The event will be attended by 250 industrialists and traders from Afghanistan, who will showcase carpets, handicrafts, precious and semi-precious stones, dried fruits, soft drinks, pressure cookers, and other Afghan products for three days.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce added that a business forum and talks among private sector representatives will also be held on the sidelines of the expo.

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