In the 150th assembly of the inter-parliamentary union held on April 7 in Tashkent, the Uzbekistan president Shavkat Mirziyoyev called On the international community to avoid isolating Afghanistan. He stressed the importance of establishing a constructive dialogue with the current government and of recognizing Afghanistan as an integral part of Central Asia. “We think it is crucial to prevent Afghanistan’s isolation on the world scene,” said Mirziyoyev, adding that Uzbekistan is counting on the support of parliaments in this effort.
This is not the first time that Tashkent has been supporting the stability of the Afghan state. After taking control of the Taliban in 2021 and the withdrawal of American forces, the leaders of the Shanghai cooperation organization (SCO) invited themselves for a summit on September 17, 2021. At the top, Mirziyoyev not only called to the unlocking Afghanistan state assets – estimated at $ 9.5 billion And held in foreign banks – but also proposed to hold regular AAFGHISTAN high -level meetings to promote dialogue and cooperation.
A few days later, in his pre -recorded speech at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Mirziyoyev again stressed that Afghanistan is a integral part of Central Asia. He called on the UN to play a greater role in the establishment of peace and stability in the country, urging to have a stronger influence and a stronger voice. He too renewed His proposal to establish a permanent United Nations committee on Afghanistan “to improve international cooperation”.
A year later, in July 2022, at the initiative of Mirziyoyev, Tashkent hosted The international conference “Afghanistan: security and economic development”, bringing together special representatives in Afghanistan from more than 20 countries and international organizations, as well as the delegation representing the acting government of Afghanistan under the Taliban.
These efforts are not isolated incidents; Rather, they reflect a coherent scheme in Uzbekistan foreign policy since Mirziyoyev came to power in 2016. Tashkent expressed the support of peace in Afghanistan repeatedly, welcomed Afghan representatives and facilitated dialogue with international and regional stakeholders to advance the stability of the country.
Uzbekistan’s interest in peaceful Afghanistan has multiple objectives. The current government in Tashkent does not believe in isolated peace but sees stability in Afghanistan as essential For the security and stability of the larger central and South Asian region.
Geopolitically, Uzbekistan considers Afghanistan as a critical gateway to South Asia. Uzbekistan is a double locking country, one of only two in the world. Tashkent was a vocal supporter of the Trans-Afghan railway-an ambitious project aimed at connecting Uzbekistan to the ports of Gwadar and Karachi in Pakistan via Mazar-I-Sharif and Kabul. In February 2021, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan sign A roadmap in Tashkent to build the railway line “Term-Mazar-Iii-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar”. Although the construction was initially to start in September 2021, it was delayed due to the political transition in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the Taliban government of Afghanistan seal the project in December 2021. It was followed by technical and economic feasibility study carried out in Afghan territory in 2022. The final phase of negotiations began in mid-2023. If it is finished, the corridor should transport 20 million tonnes of cargo per year.
“Our railway crossing Afghanistan is the best, cheapest and surest means towards South Asia”, ” said Mirziyoyev in 2023 during a conversation with local entrepreneurs.
Afghanistan also represents an important market for Uzbek products, with a population of around 43 million people – 10% including ethnic Uzbeks. Under the direction of Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan kept A cautious distance from his ethnic parents abroad, including in Afghanistan. Karimov’s vision of Ouzbek identity was strictly defined by territorial borders rather than diasporic links. Although this position is not radically moved under Mirziyoyev, Tashkent continued deeper economic ties with its southern neighbor, capitalizing on kinship as well as proximity.
Afghanistan is currently in Uzbekistan fifth Export market. In 2023, the bilateral trade between the two countries reached $ 866 million and this year, on March 1, Uzbekistan Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov encounter The Taliban Minister of Commerce, Nuruddin Aziziy, describes the concrete measures aimed at increasing bilateral trade to $ 3 billion. Tashkent too reports The fact that 550 companies with Afghan investment are currently operating in Uzbekistan, 443 (80%) are entirely funded by the Afghan capital. Afghanistan is one of the only three countries, alongside Kyrgyzstan and Tadjikistan, with which Uzbekistan maintains a positive trade balance.
In a notable decision, Uzbekistan spear The free economic area of Airitom on the Afghan border in 2023, designed to facilitate commercial and cross -border affairs. It was the first free trade area in Central Asia. Built at a cost of $ 70 million by Jahongir Artikkhodjaev – former mayor of Tashkent City and founder of the AKFA group – The area is guided by a “Business Over Politics” approach. It includes around 400 stores, a hotel and a clinic that serves patients in Afghanistan and Tadjikistan. Afghan citizens can enter the area without visa up to 15 days, and the project should create up to 5,000 jobs, 30% allocated to Afghan workers. Ouzbeks entrepreneurs who opened stores in Airitom note That the Afghan market is already saturated with Indian and Pakistani products, but they are impatient to compete and carve out a space for Ouzbek manufacturing goods.
Uzbekistan is not interested in an unstable or isolated Afghanistan, nor to conflict with its neighbor in the South. His pursuit of diplomacy, even as Kabul procedures With the construction of the Qosh TEPA canal – an ambitious project that diverts vital water from the Amu Darya, one of the two rivers supporting cotton fields in Uzbekistan and the agricultural sector – demonstrates Tashkent’s commitment to maintain peace, despite imminent concerns concerning future potential water shortages.
It doesn’t matter who holds power in Kabul, Uzbekistan has always sought to maintain constructive relations. These efforts are not motivated by economic interests alone. Like its neighbors in Central Asia, Uzbekistan remains cautious of Islamic radicalism and hopes that the promotion of friendly links with the Taliban will help keep extremist influences at a distance. Although there has been a visible Islamic renewal in Uzbekistan in recent years, the securitization of Islam remains significant. Decades of atheism imposed by the Soviets, followed by the promising secularism of the State since independence, have shaped a society more inclined to secular governance. Among the educated elite and especially young people, secular lifestyles prevail, making general support for Islamic governance unlikely, unless the populist movement. Until now, the State maintains a closely controlled centralized Islamic education system and public practice under the supervision of the company’s government. But this inner preference did not hamper Tashkent’s desire to forge productive relations with the Taliban government in Afghanistan.