Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Trade announced the deal, stating that it was signed by private sector representatives from both countries.

Afghanistan is Uzbekistan’s fifth-largest export market. Over the past five years, trade between the two countries has grown by nearly 1.5 times, reaching $866 million in 2023.

Currently, 550 Afghan-invested enterprises operate in Uzbekistan, 443 of which are fully Afghan-owned. Joint projects are ongoing in food production, construction materials, agriculture, tourism, and textiles.

Beyond trade agreements, both countries are discussing broader economic cooperation. In August 2024, an Uzbek delegation led by Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov visited Afghanistan. During the meetings, both sides emphasized their goal of increasing trade turnover to $1 billion in 2024, with a long-term target of $3 billion. Officials stressed the need to tap into new economic opportunities on a mutually beneficial basis.

As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, in October 2024, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Oil signed a 10-year contract with an Uzbek company for gas exploration and production in the Tuti Maidan gas field in Jawzjan province. The project is expected to bring in about $1 billion in investment to the region’s gas sector.