Uzbekistan will release Afghan goods from customs duties
Uzbekistan intends to establish a free trade regime with Afghanistan. In practice, this means that Afghan goods will enter the Uzbek market without paying customs duties, taxes and fees. The regime of free trade involves not only the abolition of duties, but also quantitative restrictions in mutual trade. According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, the department held relevant negotiations with the Afghan delegation, and the parties are currently preparing an intergovernmental agreement on free trade. In accordance with the document, a border trade zone based on the logistics center Termez Cargo Center is planned to be created specifically for Afghan consumers with the possibility of introducing a simplified procedure for currency control, visa, tax and customs on its territory. The release of Afghan goods from customs payments is intended to increase their competitiveness and stimulate Afghan commodity producers. Turkmenistan has repeatedly stated that one of the ways for a peaceful settlement of the inter-Afghan conflict is to involve Afghanistan in the system of interstate and regional economic ties. In this regard, Ashgabat initiated the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway, the power line and the fiber-optic line passing through Afghan territory. These projects are designed to integrate Afghanistan into the global economic space. According to Ashgabat, assistance in resolving the issues of socio-economic development of Afghanistan should accompany the negotiation process on the settlement of the situation in the country and contribute to its successful completion.
