Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A project office to coordinate the construction of a new Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway line has opened in Tashkent.

The opening ceremony of the office was held on 12 May with the participation of officials from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The purpose of the Project Office is to coordinate joint measures to develop a feasibility study and accelerate the practical implementation of the project.

It was noted that the opening of the Project Office will transform the actions of the parties to accelerate the practical implementation of the project from regular to permanent.

I. Irgashev, Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, spoke with welcoming words, noting: “On the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, since 2018, consistent productive work has been carried out, and the opening of the Project Office is the next step in the actions of the parties to accelerate the implementation of the Project.”

– The timeliness of opening a project office directly in Tashkent to coordinate the construction of the Project will bring the Central Asian countries closer to the 230 million population of the Pakistani market, as well as open up opportunities for mutual trade with the states of the Arabian Sea basin along alternative competitive routes. The implementation of the project will bring the regions to a higher level of development, as well as revive the relationship of peoples who respect the common history, - said the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan A. Farooq.

– The opening of a project office in Tashkent will make it possible to organize the work of the Parties’ specialists directly in a face-to-face format more efficiently, and during the implementation of the project it will be possible to transport millions of tons of natural resources and other goods from Russia and Central Asia to the countries of South Asia, in turn The opening ceremony was noted by the Chairman of the Afghan Railway Administration B. Sharafat. At the same time, he expressed gratitude to the Uzbek side, which cares more about the development of the real sector of the Afghan economy than the Afghan side.

These days, on 11-12 May, regular trilateral negotiations were held on further promotion of the construction project of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway line, where the parties discussed issues related to accelerating the implementation of the Project.

It is important to note that the high-quality implementation of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway construction project will allow the long-term use of this route and preserve it for centuries.