Uzbek delegation in Kabul for trade talks

An Uzbek government and business delegation has arrived in Kabul for trade discussions with Taliban officials and the country’s business representatives, the Taliban-run Ministry of Industry and Commerce said Wednesday.

According to the ministry, the delegation is led by Nazimjon Kholmuradov, head of Uzbekistan’s Agency for the Development of the Textile Industry under the country’s Cabinet of Ministers.

The Taliban said the visit would include participation in a business networking conference and meetings between traders and private-sector representatives from both countries.

The delegation also includes representatives from Uzbek textile companies, according to the ministry.

During the visit, Uzbek officials and business representatives are expected to tour textile factories and industrial facilities in the northern provinces of Balkh and Kunduz.

The trip comes as Afghanistan faces growing challenges in regional trade and imports following repeated border tensions with Pakistan and continued instability in the Middle East, both of which have disrupted traditional trade and transit routes.

The closures and interruptions have increased Afghanistan’s focus on trade corridors through Central Asia, particularly with Uzbekistan, which has emerged as one of the Taliban administration’s most active regional economic partners.

Still, some economists and trade analysts say Central Asian routes cannot fully replace Afghanistan’s long-standing dependence on trade access through Pakistan and Iran, particularly for essential imported goods and large-scale commercial transit.

Afghanistan remains heavily reliant on imports, including food products, fuel and consumer goods, and transportation costs along alternative northern corridors are often higher and logistically more limited, analysts say.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have sought to expand economic relations with neighboring Central Asian states, particularly Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan has maintained regular economic and diplomatic engagement with the Taliban despite the absence of formal international recognition of their rule.