Uzbekistan takes an active part in the implementation of the transport agenda of Afghanistan. As you know, in 2010, Uzbekistan built a 100-kilometer railway on the Hairaton-Mazari Sharif route. In 2017, an Agreement on the construction of the Mazari Sharif-Herat railway was signed between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
Taking into account the transport and communication importance of Afghanistan for interregional economic cooperation, the creation of this center will contribute the development of the transport and logistics system of Afghanistan and this is key in the development of interregional trade.
In recent years, the construction of the Mazari Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway has also been actively discussed. The project is currently the most promising, as it provides the shortest rail route to the seaports of Pakistani Karachi and Gwadar.
It is expected that the railway will lead to a reduction in the transportation of goods from Uzbekistan to Pakistan from 35 to 3-5 days. It is important that the proposed route of the railway will run through territories rich in minerals. In particular, in the provinces through which the railway is expected to pass, there are deposits of coal, sulfur, copper, iron, marble, and other minerals.
In recent months, the activities of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan on the implementation of the project have noticeably intensified. On February 2 this year, a meeting was held in Tashkent with the participation of the participating countries, as well as representatives of international financial institutions.
Following the meeting, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan signed a "road map" of the project. It is planned to involve the states of the region, the USA, Russia, the EU countries, and international financial institutions in the implementation and financing of the railway.
Other equally important areas of Uzbekistan on the Afghan agenda are energy and developing Afghanistan's energy infrastructure. Currently, Uzbekistan is the largest supplier of electricity to Afghanistan. At the same time, the Afghan economy is experiencing an acute shortage of electricity.
In order to expand opportunities to increase imports of electricity, Afghanistan and neighboring countries are working on expanding the infrastructure for delivering electricity to Afghan provinces. In particular, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan are implementing a project for the construction of the Surkhan-Puli-Khumri transmission line. The construction of the power transmission line will increase the supply of electricity from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan by 70% - up to 6 billion kW.h per year.
In 2020, an agreement was signed between Afghanistan and the Asian Development Bank to finance this project in the second half of October. In addition, it is worth noting that Uzbekistan and Afghanistan are exploring the possibilities of attracting Uzbek design and contracting organizations to the construction of infrastructure for roads and railways, as well as civil and industrial purposes in Afghanistan.
Without human development in Afghanistan, infrastructure assistance will be largely constrained by the lack of a skilled workforce in Afghanistan. Tashkent is also taking active measures in this direction. In particular, as mentioned above, a Training Center for Afghan Citizens has been operating since 2018 in Termez.
As reported in the media, in 2020, 172 students were trained at the Center, from them 119 were trained in the direction of "Uzbek language and literature", 35 - in the direction of "Land transport systems and their operation" and 18 - in the direction of "Obstetrics, gynecology, and nursing”.
According to the decree of the President of Uzbekistan, additional measures were identified to assist in obtaining education for Afghan citizens. In particular, the Uzbek side plans to explore the possibilities for the development of cooperation between higher educational institutions in the field of architecture and construction, the allocation of quotas for Afghan citizens to study in the magistracy, and doctoral studies on the basis of a grant in higher educational institutions of Uzbekistan.
It is also planned to introduce the educational direction "Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship" at the Training Center for Afghan Citizens and organize practical seminars with the participation of qualified specialists from enterprises and organizations of the Surkhandarya region.
In the field of intercultural cooperation, in the fall of 2020, festive events dedicated to the Day of the Uzbek language were held in Afghanistan. Also, between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, the possibilities of the parties are being worked out for the restoration of cultural and artistic monuments in the ancient cities of Afghanistan.
Thus, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan are striving to expand socio-economic interaction in all possible areas and proceed from the comparative advantages of their economies. Despite the ongoing armed confrontation in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan is adopting a program of socio-economic cooperation with this country, which suggests that Tashkent sees high chances for reconciliation between the parties in the peace talks.
However, the war-torn economy and underdeveloped infrastructure will remain serious constraints to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Huge financial and capital injections into the Afghan economy will be required from the international community and investors. In this context, the creation under the UN of a permanent committee for promoting the socio-economic development of Afghanistan can help to consolidate the efforts of the world community in helping to restore the Afghan economy
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