Uzbekistan’s Interest in Pine Nut Harvesting with the Taliban

Uzbekistan plans to establish a free economic zone along its border with Afghanistan. This zone will include facilities for processing pine nuts and cotton, as well as food production, packaging and logistics centers.

The announcement was made by Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Zhamshid Khodjaev during a meeting with a Taliban delegation, which was headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. This information was reported on the Taliban administration’s website.

Uzbek investors are also prepared to invest in the construction of a cement plant in Samangan Province, along with mineral exploration and extraction projects.

Gas production is set to commence soon in the Tuti-Maidan field, located in Afghanistan’s Faryab Region, as stated by the Uzbek deputy prime minister.

The Taliban delegation arrived in Uzbekistan for discussions on February 22 and consists of members from the Taliban administration as well as representatives from industry agencies.

Deputy Prime Minister Khodjaev met with the delegation, which was also received by Ismatullah Irgashev, Uzbekistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, and Abdul Ghafar Bahr, the Emirati Ambassador to Uzbekistan.

These negotiations are expected to last for two days.