Pakistan, Uzbek FMs discuss UAP rail project

KABUL (Pajhwok): Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Uzbek counterpart discussed the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) railway line project and ways to enhance regional cooperation on Sunday.

Ishaq Dar, who is also deputy prime minister of Pakistan, today held a telephonic conversation with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan said.

A statement from the ministry said the two leaders discussed existing bilateral relations, particularly UAP Railway Line Project.

“They expressed the hope that framework agreement for the regional connectivity project will be finalised soon. Views were also exchanged on current regional situation,” the statement explained.

The three neighboring countries signed an agreement to build the regional connectivity project in February 2021.

Dar also visited Afghanistan in April this year and discussed the project with the caretaker government officials in Kabul.

The Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan railway project is a significant regional infrastructure initiative aimed at linking Central Asia to Pakistan’s southern ports via Afghanistan. Originally agreed upon in 2021, the project aims to create a shorter, cost-effective, and efficient transit route for goods from Central Asia to South Asia.

The project is seen as having strategic importance for regional connectivity and is expected to play a major role in Afghanistan’s economic development by creating new transit, trade, and employment opportunities.

It would position Afghanistan as a key transit corridor between Central and South Asia.

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