Sunday, 26 July 2026
Mr. Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), met with Mr. Jamshid Khodjayev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, who arrived in Kabul leading a high-level delegation representing both the government and private sector of Uzbekistan.
Mr. Hashemi welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation to Kabul and expressed his appreciation for the support of the President and leadership of Uzbekistan in promoting Afghanistan's economic, trade, and transit relations. He described Uzbekistan as one of Afghanistan's key economic partners.
The Chairman of ACCI stated that the exchange visits of the private sectors of both countries to Tashkent, Surkhandarya, Namangan, Fergana, Kabul, Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, and Nangarhar have played a significant role in expanding bilateral trade and investment. He also highlighted Uzbekistan's initiatives to introduce preferential tariffs, describing them as an important and effective step toward creating greater trade facilitation.
Mr. Jamshid Khodjayev, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, expressed his gratitude for the warm reception extended by the Government and private sector of Afghanistan. He highly praised the efforts of Mr. Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of ACCI, in establishing a framework for cooperation aimed at strengthening trade relations and increasing the volume of bilateral trade.
Mr. Khodjayev noted that bilateral trade between the two countries has exceeded USD 1 billion, compared to the previous year. He added, "We are moving closer to our ultimate target of USD 5 billion in bilateral trade. We are also working in practice to reduce preferential tariffs by up to 50% on Afghanistan's export goods in order to further increase trade exchanges."
During another part of the meeting, members of both delegations presented their views, proposals, and concerns regarding trade, transit, investment, and economic cooperation. These issues were discussed in detail and addressed by the relevant officials.
From the Afghan side, participants included: Mr. Arian Zalgai Azimi, Deputy Chairman for Investment; Mr. Enayatullah Sediqzai, Deputy Chairman for Services; Mr. Habibullah Omar, Deputy Chairman for Social and Cultural Affairs of the Board of Directors; Mr. Ahmad Nabi Zada, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines; Mr. Atiqullah Mominzada, Mr. Mahmood Jan Qadari, Mr. Younus Qazizada, Mr. Abdul Zahir Khan Achakzai Barakat, Mr. Najabat Haidari, and Mr. Obaidullah Hotak, members of the ACCI Board of Directors, as well as Mr. Mayel Khairkhwa, a prominent Afghan businessman.
Representing Uzbekistan were the Minister of Transport and his Deputy, the Governor of Tashkent Province, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Afghanistan, the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, along with other senior government officials and private sector representatives from Uzbekistan.
