Abbas will allow India to get the shortest access to the markets of Afghanistan, Central Asia and
the CIS.
Due to the lack of direct transport routes, the trade between India and the Central Asian
states is far from its potential and does not exceed 1.1 percent.
India invested 500 million US dollars in the development of the port infrastructure
Chabahar, and participates in the construction of the Iranian-Afghan railway line as part of the
development of the Chabahar-Zahedan-Zaranj Southern Trade Corridor, followed by the exit to
the Afghanistan main road connecting such large Afghan cities as Herat, Kandahar, Kabul and
Mazari-Sharif.
The second factor is the establishment of cooperation between Uzbekistan and India in the
training of Afghan civilian cadres. In this context, it is noteworthy that India is one of the key
states in the training of military personnel in Afghanistan. In recent years, more than 4,000
Afghan officers have been trained in the Indian military institutions. At the same time, this year
it is expected to increase the number by 50%.
In our firm belief, the formation of the prestige of education and the stimulation of the
aspirations for self-improvement among young people in the Afghan society is the key to
achieving sustainable and stable development. In this regard, it is relevant to support India and
jointly promote the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to establish a special
International Fund for the Support of Education in Afghanistan.
The third factor is the interaction of Uzbekistan and India in the provision of medical
services to the Afghan population. According to the United Nations Health Organization, each
year about 100-110 thousand people die from various diseases and lack of necessary medicines
in Afghanistan. In this context, I would like to note that currently 7 free economic zones (FEZ)
specializing in the production of pharmaceutical products operate in Uzbekistan and one of
them, “Boysun Farm”, is located in the border with Afghanistan in Surkhandarya region. In this
regard, taking into account the logistics and favorable conditions created in Uzbekistan for
foreign investors, in our opinion, the creation of joint Uzbek-Indian enterprises for the production
of medicine based on the needs of the Afghans can make a significant contribution to improving
the health situation in Afghanistan.
In general, it should be noted that Uzbekistan would continue its practical assistance in
creating the infrastructure of Afghanistan, considering this to be an indispensable condition for
promoting peace and prosperity in this country. Taking into account the fact that ensuring
security in Afghanistan is a decisive factor not only of regional but also global security context,
Uzbekistan is ready to recognize and support any political processes that are aimed at
maintaining peace and stability in Afghanistan.
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