Afghan, Uzbek traders sign 20 trade agreements worth $267m — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) says 20 trade agreements worth $267 million have been signed in various sectors during a business meeting between representatives of Afghanistan’s private sector and Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya province. The business-to-business meeting between representatives of Afghanistan’s private sector and Kashkadarya was held on Saturday evening (Aug. 30), attended by Mawlawi Ahmadullah Zahid, deputy minister of industry and commerce; Shukhrat Muradov, deputy governor of Kashkadarya; Uzbekistan’s ambassador to Kabul; and a number of traders and investors from both countries. The MoIC said in a statement that the meetings resulted in the signing of 20 trade agreements worth $267 million covering food products, textiles, construction materials, livestock, electronic equipment and furniture. According to the statement, Mawlawi Ahmadullah Zahid said at the conference that Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, besides being neighbours, had significant economic potential. He added that following visits by delegations from both countries, economic ties and bilateral trade had increased. He stressed the need to simplify trade and transit procedures and remove existing barriers to bilateral commerce. He said Afghanistan had significant potential in agriculture, mining, trade and investment, while Uzbekistan had strong capabilities in industry and machinery manufacturing. Zahid said linking the economic capacities of the two countries would benefit both Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. He described transit as important for Afghanistan and said the…