The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Afghanistan, Uzbek media reported Wednesday.
According to a report by UzDaily, the agreement was
formalized under a presidential decree that authorizes Uzbekistan’s Ministry of
Investment, Industry and Trade and the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan to
implement its provisions.
UzDaily said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan
will notify the Afghan government once all domestic procedures required for the
agreement to take effect have been completed. The Cabinet of Ministers of
Uzbekistan and other relevant authorities will oversee compliance with the
terms of the pact.
Plans for the preferential trade agreement were first
announced in August 2024, UzDaily reported, noting that the deal includes the abolition
of customs duties on 14 categories of goods, simplified phytosanitary
procedures for Afghan agricultural products and expanded support measures for
exporters.
On Feb. 25, 2026, Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industry
Nooruddin Azizi and Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev agreed
to accelerate implementation of the agreement, advance investment projects and
enhance industrial cooperation between the two countries, according to the
report. Both sides also emphasized expanding trade cooperation with the aim of
increasing bilateral trade to $5 billion.
A preferential trade agreement typically lowers or
eliminates tariffs on selected goods to facilitate imports and exports and
boost trade between partner countries.
