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Uzbekistan, Qatar discuss possibility of Trans-Afghan Railway project

With a preliminary cost of about $5bn, the new transport corridor has a transit potential of up to 20 million tonnes of cargo.

NT Bureau

TASHKENT: Leaders of Uzbekistan and Qatar have discussed the possibility of the Trans-Afghan Railway construction project, Central Asian media have reported.

According to the Uzbek President’s office, the project was reviewed at a meeting between President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev with the delegation of Qatar headed by Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

During the meeting, both sides discussed matters of expanding bilateral cooperation in trade and economics, investment and transportation and communication spheres, Trend website reported.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted the intensive political dialogue, the dynamic growth of mutual trade and investments.

Furthermore, both sides noted the importance of promoting joint investment projects and creating effective mechanisms for their financial support as soon as possible.

Both parties discussed regional issues, including the serious escalation of the situation in the Middle East.

According to the report, in October 2023, Uzbekistan Railways presented the Transfagan Railway project to Qatar’s Ministry of Transport. Following the presentation, the parties discussed how Qatar can participate in the project’s implementation.

The administrations of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan signed a road map for the building of the Termez-Mazar-I-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway in February 2021.

According to the calculations of the participants in the project, with a preliminary cost of about $5 billion, the new transport corridor with a transit potential of up to 20 million tonnes of cargo should connect the countries of Europe, Russia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and further the states of Southeast Asia.

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