Businesspeople from the Uzbek Surkhandarya and Afghan Balkh provinces held talks in the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif and signed a number of agreements. The sides also agreed to arrange a visit by Afghan doctors to a medical center in Termez.
Direct talks between the business owners focused on ways to increase bilateral trade and carry out joint projects, the Dunyo news agency reported.
The sides said there is substantial potential for cooperation in poultry farming, textiles and light industry, food processing and building materials production.
Asadullah Asadi, chief of the secretariat of the Balkh Province Chamber of Commerce and Investment, invited Surkhandarya entrepreneurs to invest in agriculture, industry, building materials, mining and poultry farming.
According to the Afghan side, work has begun on a poultry plant in Balkh with the participation of investors from Andijan province.
Maulavi Ahmadkhan Khadim, head of the Balkh Province Department of Industry and Trade, said trade between the two countries is growing. By his estimate, bilateral trade could reach $5 billion in the coming years. He also said he was ready to provide the necessary support to Uzbek entrepreneurs and investors.
The talks ended with agreements signed in several areas. Their value and detailed terms were not disclosed in the report. Delegation members also toured industrial enterprises in Balkh province.
Cooperation in health care was discussed at a meeting with Sayed Ahmad Shadab, deputy head of the Balkh Province Department of Public Health.
The sides agreed to arrange a visit in the coming days by a group of Afghan doctors to the AKFA Medline Ayritom multidisciplinary medical center, located on the grounds of the International Trade Center in Termez. A memorandum of understanding is planned to be signed during the visit.
