Uzbekistan and Pakistan agreed to establish a tripartite committee with Afghanistan to address issues that are hindering the implementation of a proposed railway project connecting the three countries.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reported the development after delegation-level talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Tashkent, emphasizing the need to coordinate joint efforts to advance the trans-Afghan railway link.
The three neighboring countries signed an agreement in February 2021 to construct a 573-kilometer (356-mile) railway line through Afghanistan, connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistani seaports, with an estimated cost of $4.8 billion to enhance regional economic connectivity.
“For the first time, we conducted comprehensive discussions [on the project],” Mirziyoyev said in remarks through his official interpreter broadcast live Wednesday on Pakistani state television.
He noted that both sides agreed to form a tripartite committee to evaluate opportunities and address project challenges. The Uzbek leader stated that it was also central to discussions his government recently hosted with officials from Afghanistan.
“Now, we will have the tripartite [committee] meeting on resolving the problems,” said Mirziyoyev without elaborating. “We know that this [project] is our future,” he added, calling it crucial for regional trade and travel.
The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and subsequent Western financial sanctions on the country briefly deterred Uzbekistan and Pakistan from advancing discussions on the railway connectivity project.
Lately, Pakistan has accused the Taliban government, which is not recognized by any country, of harboring and facilitating militants responsible for terrorist attacks in the country. The ongoing violence has strained bilateral relations and prevented Islamabad from pursuing any meaningful economic partnership with Kabul, according to Pakistani officials.
The Taliban reject allegations that foreign militant groups operate on their territory, saying that no one is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten other countries.
Sharif, speaking alongside Mirziyoyev, reiterated concerns about cross-border terrorism, emphasizing that militant groups should not use Afghan soil to launch attacks against other nations, including Pakistan.
The Uzbek and Pakistani leaders announced Wednesday that they had also agreed to increase annual trade from more than $400 million to $2 billion and signed several agreements to deepen bilateral economic and trade ties.
The two sides stated that they had discussed enhancing collaboration in agricultural, pharmaceuticals, machinery, geology, mineral resources, textiles, leather and other industries by exporting finished products to third-country markets.
Islamabad and Tashkent also agreed to enhance air links with new flights planned between the largest Pakistani city of Karachi and the historic Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Bukhara.
