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Uzbekistan and Pakistan plan trade routes that bypass Afghanistan

The countries are also working on expanding trans-China transit options even as Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions have left border crossings closed.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Energy

Uzbekistan is looking to move more goods to Pakistan without relying on an Afghanistan trade corridor, as Central Asia tries to secure alternative routes for its trade flows. OilPrice reports that Tashkent has increased engagement with Afghanistan and set a goal to nearly triple annual bilateral trade volume over the coming years.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said Uzbekistan is working with Taliban leadership to develop a trans-Afghan rail route to reach Pakistani seaports, but plans have been complicated by a deep freeze in Afghan-Pakistani relations. Pakistani media reports that Islamabad closed its main land border crossings, effectively halting truck-borne trade.

OilPrice also cites Pakistani media coverage that Uzbekistan and Pakistan have reached a provisional agreement to expand bilateral trade via routes that traverse China and bypass Afghanistan. Pakistan outlet Profit quoted an unnamed official source saying a protocol would expand transit options and help maintain uninterrupted movement of goods despite regional security challenges.

The report adds that Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China are constructing a railway intended to connect into China’s rail network, supporting access to trans-China routes as the countries formalize expansion through a protocol.

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