The Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan announced on Thursday a plan to establish a new multi-modal transportation corridor via Afghanistan.

Tashkent aims to connect Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan through this initiative to bolster trade in Central Asia.

Transport ministers from these countries met on Tuesday, in Termez, Uzbekistan, to discuss this trade corridor.

According to a statement from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, participants in the meeting discussed connecting Central Asia and the South Asian countries through the development of a multi-modal transportation corridor to increase Uzbekistan's transit capacity.

This initiative includes plans to enhance transportation, as well as the analysis of transit shipments, digitising documents, and simplifying transit processes between countries.

In November 2023, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Transport Ministers’ Meeting in Tashkent, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum to establish this corridor.

Uzbekistan reported a significant increase in cargo transportation through Afghanistan since 2021. According to their statistics, transit cargo volume reached 675,000 tonnes in 2022 and one million tonnes in 2023.

Uzbek authorities express hope that this volume will increase in 2024.

The proposal for a new transportation corridor comes as Uzbekistan, with this ambitious initiative, seeks to diversify its trade routes, upgrade transportation infrastructure, and reduce reliance on Russia.