Raban for the Taliban: Central Asia is building relations with Afghanistan
A business forum was held in Uzbekistan with the participation of the current Afghan authorities. The parties noted a steady increase in trade turnover, and also agreed on a number of promising investment projects.In general, Uzbekistan is more active than other Central Asian countries in interacting with Kabul, but its neighbors are not far behind. Izvestia investigated the situation.
Meeting at the border
A business forum was held in the Uzbek city of Termez, attended by representatives of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Within the framework of the event, two Ministers of Trade and Investment, Laziz Kudratov and Nuriddin Azizi, met. Following the talks, the officials announced their intention to increase the bilateral trade turnover to $3 billion.At the same time, last year the volume of bilateral trade amounted to $ 1.1 billion, that is, we are talking about an increase of almost three times.
A meeting was also held within the framework of the forum, which was attended by 60 entrepreneurs from each side. "The businessmen discussed new projects and established trade contacts. Concrete steps have been considered to increase mutually beneficial cooperation and cooperative ties in the fields of agriculture, textile, pharmaceutical, food and mining industries," the Uzbek Ministry of Trade said in a statement.
The Afghan side reports on the results of the event in more detail. It is emphasized that representatives of the two countries have previously agreed on the construction of plants for processing vegetables and fruits, the production of medicines and building materials — at the expense of Uzbek investors. In addition, the officials discussed the simplification of business visas, the establishment of chambers of commerce, the holding of a regular regional exhibition, and the construction of a trade and economic complex in the Afghan border town of Hairaton.
Afghan delegation in Uzbekistan at talks aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, February 2025
Representatives of the Afghan delegation also said that they discussed the development of logistics and transport links, and these initiatives should simplify the work of carriers. "Special conditions will be created for our vehicles, transit and logistics costs between our countries will be reduced. In this case, we will be able to trade more actively with China, Kazakhstan and Russia," said Hanjan Alokozai, a member of the Board of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Investment.
Life after the Americans
The Taliban movement (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) came to power in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, when footage of the rapid flight of the American contingent from the country spread around the world. Since then, no State in the world has officially recognized the government in Kabul. The main claims are numerous human rights violations, severe harassment of women and national minorities, and suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities.
People near the evacuation point near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, August 2021
Over time, however, some countries began to establish ties, and Uzbekistan turned out to be one of the leaders in this regard. Firstly, the political dialogue has intensified, and the parties exchange representative delegations about once every six months. For example, Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov visited Kabul in March last year, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdullah Aripov visited in August, and Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar visited Tashkent in February this year.Secondly, economic cooperation has intensified. According to So, in August last year, the Airitom–Hairaton border crossing began operating around the clock, and Afghan entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to stay for 15 days without a visa at the International Trade Center in the city of Termez.
Thirdly, the parties exchanged ambassadors, and in Tashkent they talked about their readiness to help their neighbors in the fight against terrorism and ensuring security. "The Afghan intelligence service is at the forefront of this struggle and is achieving certain results. We cannot leave our partners alone with this problem, the enemy must be defeated together, based on the principle of indivisibility of security," said Abdusalom Azizov, head of the Uzbek State Security Service.
Hairaton border crossing on the border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan
Finally, there are several major infrastructure projects on the agenda. For example, Uzbekistan is promoting the initiative to build the Trans-Afghan Railway, which will connect Central Asia with Pakistani and Iranian ports. According to the latest data, the parties are looking for technical partners and investors. In addition, the construction of the 260 km Surkhan–Puli-Khumri power transmission line is being discussed, although the start of work has been postponed several times.
Four plus Kabul
Turkmenistan is the most active among other Central Asian countries. The republic's main interest is the construction of the TAPI pipeline (Turkmenistan — Afghanistan – Pakistan – India), which will allow Ashgabat to transport gas to South Asia. The project has been discussed since the 90s, but recently it has come to practical implementation. Work began on Afghan territory in December last year, and the first 6 km of pipes were laid in January.
Last June, Kazakhstan removed the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations, and the country's leadership declared its desire to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with Kabul. In October, a bilateral business forum was held in Almaty, during the event 23 agreements were signed totaling $317 million. In November, Kazakh and Afghan banks conducted the first trial direct payment in the amount of $ 10,000, simplification of settlements should further stimulate trade.
The Afghan-Uzbek border
Kyrgyzstan also removed the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations in September last year. President Sadir Japarov noted that the current leadership of Afghanistan has been in power for more than three years, if these people were not popular, they would have been overthrown long ago. "Whether we want it or not, the fact remains that the country is run by the Taliban. The aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan can have a negative impact on our entire region," he explained.
Tajikistan is the most intransigent of all the Central Asian countries, which continues to demand that Kabul respect the rights of national minorities and include ethnic Tajiks in the government. Certain business contacts are still maintained. So, last year, Dushanbe supplied the neighboring state with electricity for the total amount of $65 million, in November, the energy companies of the two countries signed a contract for supplies this year.
What the experts say
Political scientist Rustam Burnashev explains that Uzbekistan was the first in Central Asia to adopt a new strategy towards Afghanistan.
— If security issues used to be at the forefront, now it is understood that economic cooperation is more important, which will also guarantee stability in the region. To put it bluntly, if jobs and infrastructure are created in Afghanistan, there will be fewer risks of escalation. Gradually, this approach began to be shared by other countries in the region," he notes.
Andrey Grozin, head of the Central Asia Department at the Institute of CIS Countries, says that Central Asia is guided by two considerations when trying to establish cooperation with Kabul.
Kabul, Afghanistan
— Firstly, Afghanistan is interesting to its neighbors because of its transit potential, through this country it is possible to gain access to the markets of Pakistan and India. Secondly, Central Asia is trying to involve Afghanistan in the orbit of more or less stable development through economic cooperation so that it does not create problems.By the way, the same policy is followed outside the region, Iran, China, and, in a sense, Russia have a similar approach," he notes.
At the same time, the interlocutor adds that security issues remain the most important in relations with Kabul.
— The official Afghan authorities say they are committed to partnership with their neighbors, we really do not see any expansion from them. The Taliban are busy consolidating their power, expanding their zone of control inside the country, and fighting among themselves. But the problem is that the territory of Afghanistan can be used as a transit base by other numerous groups, for example, those that participated in the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria. In this regard, the situation on the border is constantly being closely monitored in Central Asia," he emphasizes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
