Thursday December 7, 2017
Kabul (BNA) The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and the delegation accompanying him attended the official dinner hosted by President Abdulla Aripov of Uzbekistan, Tuesday evening, Presidential Palace of Uzbekistan.
The dinner was also attended by Afghan and Uzbek investors and the business community. The President said, “This visit ushered in unrolling a fresh and new chapter in the Afghan-Uzbek relations particularly in the arena of economy and trade.”
He added, “Afghanistan and Uzbekistan will become two lasting and united partners in Central Asia and Uzbekistan will become one of our major partners.” The President told the reporters, “One of the projects that are agreed upon today is the transmission of electricity with the implementation of which 12 Afghan provinces will be provided with electricity and the investment sector will also be facilitated with dependable energy.”
Remarking on the importance of transit facilitation between the two countries, President Ghani said that the agreement on implementation of Mazar e Sharif – Herat Railways will contribute to regional connectivity and allow smooth flow of exports. He said, “This is one of the major regional transit projects and both countries are earnestly working on the implementation and funding.”
President Ghani stressed the need for expediting the joint investment process. He said, “The private sector is our principal partner who can take constructive steps in aiding the two countries to achieve mutual prosperity.” The President further said, “A procurement mechanism of state-to-state nature will be devised, providing the private sector with investment facilities.”
