Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has called for the rapid implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway project, describing it as a vital regional initiative to enhance economic integration and transport connectivity.

Speaking Tuesday at a United Nations conference on landlocked developing countries in Turkmenistan, Mirziyoyev highlighted the strategic importance of the proposed Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway line. He said regional infrastructure projects such as this would help create a new commercial and economic space and build sustainable transport networks.

The Trans-Afghan railway aims to link Central Asia with South Asia, facilitating trade and boosting economic cooperation across the region.

In July, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry announced the signing of a feasibility study agreement for the railway line. The agreement was signed in Kabul between the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Works, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, and Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways. The foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and the Taliban administration attended the signing ceremony.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the railway project would open a new transit corridor between Central and South Asia and play a key role in promoting regional trade and economic growth.