Representatives from Central Asian countries gather to try to maximize the economic opportunities of the region and support Afghanistan.
Termez’s dialogue on connectivity between Central Asia and South Asia, including leaders of Central Asian countries along with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, took place in the Termesian city of southern Uzbekistan.
The conference was launched by Uzbekistan, a strong supporter of the economic integration of Afghanistan, now in its fifth year of the Taliban government.
For many years, Central Asian countries have sought a connection with Afghanistan, something called “real acceptance” in the region.
In 2022, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed a platform for Central and South Asian countries to cooperate. This was later reflected in a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly.
The Termez meeting is an effort to turn the ideas presented in the resolution into reality.
“The main goal of this dialogue is to create a permanent and functional platform where representatives from central and South Asian countries can discuss a wide range of cooperation issues, from interconnectivity, trade and economic cooperation to humanitarian exchange,” said Eldor Alipov, director of the Institute of Strategic and Regional Studies.
Countries in the region have already launched their first infrastructure projects in Afghanistan.
Currently there are high voltage power lines to Afghanistan running from both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Through them, Afghanistan receives regular assistance in the form of electricity.
Turkmenistan’s Deputy Minister Temilbek Erkinov noted that the new road and the railway from his country to Afghanistan are planning a route to extend to Mazar y Sharif city.
Central Asian countries and the Taliban
Participants at Termez Talks repeatedly pointed out the cultural and historical relationships between the region and were all clear about one thing.
Since their independence from the Soviet Union, landlocked countries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have been cut off from Pakistan’s closest deep sea ports and the vast markets of Pakistan and India due to ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.
Pipelines, roads, or rail lines were not feasible through the vast strips of Afghanistan, which were deemed unsafe.
That situation has changed and Afghanistan currently has a government that appears to be able to provide security for major projects. An opportunity not to be missed, in the opinion of Central Asian leaders.
“We want to actively engage in many concrete infrastructure projects, first of all Afghanistan’s Trans Railway Corridor. We know that all countries in the region are trapped in land. Uzbekistan has to cross two boundaries to reach the nearest sea, so double land is locked,” explained Alipov.
“This is why transportation communication issues are the most important topic for all Central and South Asian countries. We are committed to the TransAfghan corridors to link Pakistan’s ports to Central Asian countries.”
“Currently, trade between Central and South Asia is worth $5 billion. That’s nothing. It doesn’t remotely reflect the possibility that it’s there. Europe is far apart, and trade exchanges with them are 10 times higher.”
Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister Mohammad Naiom Waldak has joined the summit to announce Kabul’s intentions to engage in trade, transport and stronger regional economic cooperation, acting on what he calls “regional connectors and transport routes.”
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is striving to make Afghanistan a point of connection in the region. The Afghanistan position is for the interests of all the countries around us in the region,” he said.
He argued that Afghanistan already has been tackling drug trafficking, eradicating poppy fields and providing security to the area by fighting organized crime and terrorism.
But his government is eager to be more involved economically, he said.
“Afghanistan is centrally located and is a bridge between Central Asia and South Asia. So it represents the bridge. Unfortunately, we had 40 years of battle and no opportunity existed. Now, thanks to Allah, there is an opportunity for development, thanks to the revival of the Islamic Emirates,” he told Euronews.
The symbolism of the Silk Road
Located on the border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan on the banks of the Amdarya River, Tafes was a logistics hub for caravans moving between the east and west along the ancient Silk Road.
During the Soviet era, it was reduced to a distant front post base and in 1979 served as the entrance to the Red Army to Afghanistan.
A project is underway that envisions the city regaining some of its former glory and bringing the prosperity of its trade hub.
In a patch of border land, Uzbekistan built a free trade zone for Afghanistan businesses and logistics centres in 2024.
Afghan citizens can enter the zone as part of a 15-day visa-free regime.
Almost half a million Afghans have already taken advantage of the opportunity, opening businesses and enjoying tax-free trade thanks to the simplified registration process.
Currently, around 100 shops are active, and an additional 500 have been announced. Freight centres within the zone are used to load more than 70 trucks, with daily trains transporting goods to both sides of the border.
The modern hospital opened last year, with 380 doctors working in 15 different regions, approximately 48,000 Afghan patients paid by the Uzbekistan government were treated.
Approximately 300 complicated surgeries were performed, and patients were unable to do so in Afghanistan.
A business school for small and medium-sized businesses has also been opened, and teaches about 500 shop owners how to run and develop their businesses.
“We have seen a surge in trade contracts last year. The increase last year was 160%, and is now worth $560 million (494 million euros),” said Governor Urugbek Kosimov of the Surkandarya region.
He also hopes that the development of the trade route from Russia to India in the north, along with all the countries along the road, will see his state flourish in what he called the “new Renaissance.”
