KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban signed five bilateral trade and investment agreements with Uzbekistan, furthering economic ties between the two countries.
The agreements were finalized during a visit by Uzbekistan’s Prime Minister, Abdulla Aripov, who led a senior delegation to Kabul on Saturday.
According to the Taliban-run Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, the agreements focus on improving economic relations and involve cooperation in the development of gas wells. The Uzbek delegation expressed readiness to invest in a gas well located in the Toti Maidan area of Jawzjan Province.
The agreements were signed in the presence of Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar and Uzbek Prime Minister Aripov, signaling continued economic engagement between the two nations despite Afghanistan’s ongoing challenges.
However, concerns have been raised by Afghan citizens about the Taliban’s lack of transparency and accountability in managing the country’s revenues, particularly from its mining and customs sectors. Meanwhile, United Nations reports continue to highlight poverty and unemployment as significant drivers of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
