Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The leading European information and analytical portal EU Reporter published an article titled "The Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway is on the agenda," Dunyo news agency reported.

It notes that at present the railway line of Uzbekistan with Afghanistan stretches for 75 kilometers from the border to Mazar-i-Sharif. But plans are already underway to extend the line to Kabul and Peshawar in Pakistan.

The proposal to build a railway line that would increase the volume of Uzbek imports and exports through the ports of Pakistan has been put forward for a long time, but thanks to the policy of “positive neutrality” of Uzbekistan towards Afghanistan, it has become closer to reality.

The Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, Ambassador Ismatulla Irgashev, reportedly spoke at a briefing in Brussels about how his country responded to what he described as a "difficult and deteriorating" situation that followed the withdrawal of US troops and their allies from Kabul in August 2021 of the year.

He spoke of "critical and pragmatic" dialogue with the Taliban, reflecting Uzbekistan’s commitment to support the Afghan people suffering from hunger and cold, as well as the foreign policy priority of promoting regional peace and stability.

“Ambassador Ismatulla Irgashev said that it is undeniable that Afghanistan has formed the most independent government in the last 40 years, the problem is that the Taliban do not want to share power with other Afghans. He stressed the need to form a more moderate leadership in Kabul that does not believe that women have no rights,” the article says.

The publication reported that Akmal Kamalov, Deputy Chairman of Uzbekiston Temir Yollari, made a presentation on a railway line worth US$5.96 billion, the construction of which will take approximately five years. The governments of Uzbekistan and Pakistan funded an expedition in July and August to survey the 187-kilometer route, which will include five tunnels.

The EU Reporter concludes that the railway will be the physical embodiment of the link that Uzbekistan already offers to Afghanistan; it is a way to convey the message that Afghanistan should not pose a threat to any other country in the region.