The First Deputy Prime Minister met with Uzbekistan's Vice President for Economic Affairs, Sardar Omar Zakov

Feb 22, 2022

First Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Beradar Akhund met with Uzbekistan's Vice President for Economic Affairs, Sardar Omar Zakov, at Chahaar Chinar Palace and discussed with him the launch of major economic projects in Afghanistan; such as construction of railways, power generation, trade and transit. The First Deputy Prime Minister said that now we can fulfil the conditions for investment in Afghanistan and that Uzbekistan could invest in building the Mazar-e-Sharif-Peshawar-Kabul railway, additionally they can work on repairing the 500-kilowatt turbine at Pul-e-Khumri power plant and can work in other key areas. According to Mullah Beradar Akhund, if the regional countries wants Afghanistan to be self-sufficient and have a strong economy, instead of providing humanitarian assistance, they should invest in key sectors, and work on key developmental projects in Afghanistan. He added that this would not only create jobs for the people but also turn Afghanistan into a connection hub between the regional countries and the world.

"Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have many historical and cultural similarities. We want to develop our relations and enhance economic interactions between the two countries," said Mr. Omar Zakov. He added that they are ready to conduct a preliminary survey of the Mazar-e-Sharif-Peshawar-Kabul railway in March and will soon start production of the 500-kilowatt power turbine at Pul-e-Khumri.

Mr. Omar Zakov said that after the Islamic Emirate came to power in Afghanistan, in addition to some important projects, they started the reconstruction of Mazar-e-Sharif airport. About 95 percent of its work has been completed and will be reopened in the near future.

During the meeting, the Uzbek Minister of Transport added that they will work with the Ministry of Aviation and Transport of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to train Afghan cadres in airspace control and airport management. He said that in this regard, they will train 84 Afghans in their country, the first group of whom will leave for Uzbekistan next Saturday.

Mullah Beradar Akhund, First Deputy Prime Minister, praised Uzbekistan for providing professional trainings to 84 Afghans in Uzbekistan for controlling and managing aviation and airports, and stressed the need to train more Afghan cadres in professional and technical fields.