Kabul (Pajhwok): Uzbekistan, hosting a joint conference with Tatarstan, examined new cargo transit opportunities through Termez on the Afghan border, highlighting the route’s strategic role in connecting Central Asia with South Asia and beyond.
According to a report by the Russian newspaper Realnoe Vremya, “within the framework of expanding economic and transport cooperation, Uzbekistan and the Republic of Tatarstan examined the potential for reviving trade through duty-free mechanisms” during a joint conference titled “Surkhandarya — Tatarstan.”
Officials from Uzbekistan announced that a cross-border trade zone in Termez—officially launched in August 2024—has been established to streamline the movement of goods and create new opportunities for regional trade cooperation.
During the conference, representatives of the Termez International Trade Center invited businesses and investors to establish assembly and light manufacturing operations in the zone, highlighting incentives such as duty-free imports of agricultural products, including vegetables, fruits, and plant materials.
At present, the company Leto Group is among those utilizing this framework, exporting tomatoes through the corridor to Tatarstan.
However, the initiative has reportedly received a mixed response, with limited engagement from some industrial stakeholders, including the Khimgrad industrial complex in Tatarstan.
Participants also discussed transit opportunities via Termez within the framework of the International North–South Transport Corridor, which aims to enhance connectivity between Central Asia, South Asia, and maritime routes to the Indian Ocean.
Akramjan Nematov, First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan, stated that “the Termez hub serves as a critical bridge between Central and South Asia and offers one of the shortest overland routes to Indian Ocean ports.”
It is also worth noting that in 2024, Rustam Minnikhanov, President of Tatarstan, visited the Termez area alongside a delegation from the republic’s Ministry of Industry and Trade to assess its economic and logistical potential.
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