Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 25-26 July, the International Conference "Afghanistan: security and economic development" is being held in Tashkent.

It is attended by a delegation of the Interim Government headed by Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi, as well as representatives of the government of Uzbekistan, heads of various ministries and departments, representatives and specialists from governments of more than 20 countries. One of the main issues of the forum is the consideration of projects in the transport and communication sector, in particular, the construction of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway line.

Today, on 25 July, a meeting was held at the joint-stock company Uzbekiston Temir Yullari between Chairman of the Board Khusnitdin Khasilov and Director General of Afghan Railways Bakht ul-Rahmon Sharafat.

Khusnitdin Khasilov noted that the construction of the Termez - Mazar-i-Sharif - Kabul - Peshawar railway is the most promising and cost-effective project for the countries of the region, in particular, for the countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan. 

He stressed that for the speedy implementation of this construction and ensuring the transportation of goods in this direction, will allow the states of the region to reach the ports of Pakistan by rail. At the same time, he stressed that the formation of transit opportunities for Afghanistan will lead to the economic development of this country, in particular, the development of railways will lead to this. He noted that the joint-stock company "Uzbekiston Temir Yollari" is ready to provide all necessary assistance to our closest neighbors, the Afghan railways.

The General Director of the Afghan Railways, Bakht ul-Rahman Sharafat, in turn, expressed sincere gratitude to Khasilov for the reception, and he noted that he was pleased with the comprehensive and reliable development of Uzbek-Afghan relations, which are close neighbors and fraternal peoples. In particular, he expressed great hopes for the further development of long-term reliable cooperation in the transport and communication system.

During the meeting, the head of the Afghan railways also noted the need for further development of cooperation in raising the level of education of Afghan youth in Uzbekistan.

As is known, the first 75-kilometer railway line in Afghanistan "Hairatan - Mazar-i-Sharif" was put into operation in 2011. It was built by specialized construction and bridge-building enterprises of Uzbekistan Temir Yullari. Today, work on the operation of this section is being carried out by specialists of the subsidiary enterprise "Sogdiana-Trans" of the joint-stock company Uzbekiston Temir Yullari.