During a visit to Tashkent by a delegation from Afghanistan, representatives of the Uzbek and Afghan governments discussed reducing fees and duties for cargo carriers. A transit agreement between Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan was also discussed.
During the visit, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan extended the contract to reconstruct the Khairaton-Mazar-e-Sharif railroad line for another six months. They also discussed technical studies for the Trans-Afghan railroad project, and scholarships for training Afghan railroaders in Uzbekistan.
The reconstruction of the Hairaton-Mazar-e-Sharif railroad started in February this year. In parallel with the work on the branch line, reconstruction works are underway in park “B” of Hairaton station.
Uzbekistan’s First Deputy Transport Minister, Mamanbiy Omarov, said earlier that freight traffic along the transport corridor between the countries had increased 1.5 times over the past two years. Uzbekistan has provided several privileges for road and rail transportation.
Omarov said the Afghan government will soon introduce equal payments for cargoes from Uzbekistan. He emphasized that transit transportation should develop bilaterally and be mutually beneficial.