Afghanistan reroutes trade to Central Asia to cut dependence on Pak

Afghanistan is seeking to significantly bolster trade with the oil-rich countries of Central Asia as it attempts to end its economic dependence on Pakistan, which has historically been Kabul’s biggest trading partner. Trade between Afghanistan and the five Central Asian states -- Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- has grown steadily, reaching nearly $1.7 billion, according to Afghan officials. Most of that volume consists of Afghan imports, including flour, fuel, cooking oil and construction materials. Afghan exports to Central Asia remain limited but are slowly growing. In 2024, Kazakhstan and Kabul signed a roadmap that laid out a goal to increase bilateral trade to $3 billion in the coming years. Bilateral trade with Uzbekistan in 2024 reached $1.1 billion. Afghan exports via Turkmenistan’s Torghundi border crossing have more than doubled compared to the previous year, as per a report.

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