Uzbekistan sent another cargo of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan by a charitable train of 58 wagons through the Airitom border crossing in Termez.
By Sher Karimov
According to the Surkhandarya region administration, there will be a special ceremony for transferring the cargo to the brotherly people of Afghanistan with the participation of officials from the two countries.
The administration of Surkhandarya region did not specify what exactly is included in the humanitarian aid sent to Afghanistan. Most likely, the assistance may consist of food, clothing and other products.
At the end of December last year, Uzbekistan sent a large batch of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through Termez. Then it was reported that the cargo of the charity train, consisting of 63 wagons, consisted of food, clothing and coal.
After Shavkat Mirziyoyev became president of Uzbekistan, relations between Uzbekistan and its neighbors improved considerably. Uzbekistan began playing a larger regional role in trade, cultural connections, and as a mediator in the Afghan conflict. In 2017 the two countries signed more than 40 export agreements. Uzbekistans trade with its neighbors rose from $2.7 billion in 2016 to $5.2 billion in 2021 with almost 1/5 of that trade being with Afghanistan.
In 2009, Afghan government officials began working with Central and South Asian governments to make an energy corridor through Afghanistan, allowing South Asian countries to buy electricity from Central Asian Nations.
For most of modern history Afghanistan has been relatively dependent on its neighbors, including Uzbekistan. In 2015 73% of Afghanistans electricity was supplied by neighboring countries, with 53% of that being supplied by Uzbekistan.
One result of this dependents on its neighbors is that Afghanistan does not have a unified energy grid, but instead multiple separate energy grids that branch out from one of its neighbors. In December 2021, Afghanistan’s electricity administration, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), announced that Uzbekistan had extended the agreement of exporting electricity into Afghanistan for 2022.
