KABUL, MAR 14: The Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Baxtiyor Saidov, is visiting Kabul and has met with various high-ranking officials of the Islamic Emirate on diverse matters, a statement of the Arg said.
According to the statement, the Uzbekistan foreign minister in these meetings discussed the acceptance of the Islamic Emirate’s ambassador by Uzbekistan, cooperation in political and economic sectors, and also regional connectivity.
The Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan and his delegation met yesterday with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, stated that the meeting focused on increasing the level of transit through Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
“They also pledged that the Afghan embassy will soon be officially inaugurated in their country, and they also discussed the CASA-1000 project, the Trans-Afghan project, and other issues in the sector, (the Islamic Emirate) that facilities will be provided and security is guaranteed,” Mujahid said.
The Uzbekistan delegation also met with acting ministers of Afghanistan.
Members of the Uzbekistan delegation mentioned that they want to invest in establishing a cement factory, coal mining, and a project to produce 200 megawatts of electricity from coal.
“Both sides discussed various political, economic, and security issues and recent regional developments. Then, His Khalifa sahib (the acting Minister of Interior, Sirajuddin Haqqani) spoke about the historical and spiritual commonalities between the two countries,” Abdul Mateen Qani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, told TOLOnews.
“In the meeting, the Uzbekistan Minister of Water Resources said that his country has experience in making equipment and devices for dam construction, canal building, agriculture, irrigation, and water management at the regional level and is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in these areas,” said Mesbahuddin Mustaeen, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL).
The Chamber of Commerce and Investment described the arrival of the high-level Uzbekistan delegation to Afghanistan as important for the development and resolution of commercial problems.
Mohammad Yunus Momand, the First Deputy of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, told TOLOnews: “A very good outcome of this was the acceptance of the Islamic Emirate’s ambassador there, which is considered important for trade growth.”
Previously, the Uzbekistan ambassador in Kabul stated in a press conference that the Afghan government has taken positive steps to ensure security and establish friendly relations with neighboring countries.
