KABUL — Taliban’s deputy chief minister, Abdul Ghani Baradar, said on Sunday that they reached an agreement with Uzbekistan on the planned Hairatan-Herat railway project as the Uzbek side will send its team for feasibility studies.
Addressing reporters upon returning from a two-day visit to Uzbekistan, Baradar said that construction is expected to begin within 10 days of the study’s completion, with Uzbekistan covering the cost of the initial technical assessments.
The railway project envisions extending the existing railway line from Hairatan, a key port city on the border with Uzbekistan, through Mazar-e-Sharif, and onward to Herat in western Afghanistan.
The initial phase of this railway network involved constructing a 75-kilometer line from Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif, completed in 2010 with funding from the Asian Development Bank. This segment has been instrumental in facilitating trade between Afghanistan and Central Asian countries.
The proposed extension aims to connect Mazar-e-Sharif to Herat, traversing several provinces. This expansion is expected to create a vital corridor linking Central Asia to the Middle East, thereby boosting regional trade and economic integration. In 2018, Uzbekistan expressed commitment to partially finance this 657-kilometer extension, recognizing its potential to enhance regional connectivity.
Baradar was accompanied on the trip by Taliban Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi and Mining Minister Hedayatullah Badri. According to Azizi, Badri extended his stay in Uzbekistan by two days to continue negotiations.
During the visit, the Taliban delegation met with Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and his deputy, Jamshid Khodjayev, to discuss trade, energy, aviation, agriculture, and infrastructure, Baradar said.
One of the key outcomes, he claimed, was a reduction in the cost of a 500-kilovolt power transmission project from Uzbekistan to Dasht-e-Alwan in Afghanistan—from $252 million to $222 million.
Baradar also said Uzbekistan agreed to increase electricity exports to Afghanistan during the summer months while reducing tariffs.
Azizi, the commerce minister, added that discussions covered seven key areas, including facilitating trade and banking transactions between the two countries. He also said the two sides explored the possibility of extending the railway from Hairatan to Spin Boldak, passing through Herat, Farah, Nimroz, Helmand, and Kandahar.
According to Azizi, the Taliban’s goal in these negotiations is to create “a balance” in exports and imports between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
As part of the agreements reached, Uzbekistan will lift restrictions on Afghan agricultural products and establish four commercial centers in major cities of both countries, Azizi said.
He added that talks also included discussions on reducing customs tariffs for 10 Afghan export commodities.
