Uzbekistan discusses food security cooperation with Afghanistan

Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the Uzbek government on Wednesday expressed its intention to resume cooperation with its neighboring country on food security issues.

Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the Uzbek government on Wednesday expressed its intention to resume cooperation with its neighboring country on food security issues. This intent was shown after Deputy Prime Minister Sardor Umurzakov and acting head of the Afghan interim government, Mohammad Hassan Akhund, discussed bilateral cooperation in Kabul.

"Further steps have been outlined to resume cooperation to ensure food security, accelerate the resumption of economic activity and maintain sustainable peace in Afghanistan," the Uzbek Ministry Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade said in a statement. Particularly, the officials discussed construction projects of the Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway line and the Surkhon-Puli-Khumri power transmission line, the ministry added.

According to the statement, the Afghan side expressed readiness to cooperate on these projects and expressed gratitude to Uzbekistan for assistance in the restoration of the Kabul airport. Last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that the world cannot abandon the country now - for the sake of its people and overall global security.

"At this moment, we need the global community - and this Council - to put their hands on the wheel of progress, provide resources, and prevent Afghanistan from spiraling any further," he said. Guterres also outlined action for the de facto rulers of the country, the Taliban, calling on the fundamentalists to expand opportunity and security for Afghans, uphold human rights, and demonstrate real commitment to be part of the international community.

Back in January, the UN team in the country launched the One-UN Transitional Engagement Framework (TEF), a USD 3.6 billion plan to save lives and sustain health, education and other essential services throughout 2022. Special Representative Deborah Lyons, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said this investment aims to reverse the steady increase in poverty, while ensuring critical donor funds are not diverted or misused. 

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