Afghanistan Peace CampaignMay 19, 2026
A train rests on the railroad that runs from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan’s Mazar-e-Sharif. Uzbekistan, as well as other Central Asian states, see potential routes via Afghanistan to Pakistan as their fastest and most efficient way to reach seaports. (Photo: Army Sgt. Michael Reinsch, IJC Public Affairs)Tashkent eager to create route to sea.
A top Uzbek government official has revealed that Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan are in “conceptual agreement” on creating a transit corridor to connect the Central Asian nation to ports on the Arabian Sea.
The semi-official Gazeta.uz news outlet cites Deputy Minister of Transport Jasurbek Choriev as saying a feasibility study is already being undertaken, adding that surveying work has begun on a corridor. “The next stage is to understand how quickly and how much capital we can attract, as well as what partners will be interested,” he said. He made the comments during a panel discussion earlier in May during the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB’s) annual meeting in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.
Choriev indicated that another option for a trade route to the sea, one that would link Uzbekistan to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, was not feasible now, given that “today’s situation remains very unpredictable.” Even if the United States, Israel and Iran can agree on a truce, lingering tension in the region stands to inject uncertainty into any trade route involving Tehran over at least the medium term.
“Therefore, our goal is to go through Afghanistan to Pakistan with access to the ports of Karachi and Gwadar,” Choriev said. “This will be a new route that Uzbekistan is striving for. And not only Uzbekistan: I think we need to join forces with other Central Asian countries and partners so that new transport corridors are built and built on time, without further delays.”
An Uzbek-Afghan-Pakistan transit corridor has its own challenges beyond lining up financing and navigating Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain. The Taliban regime’s reliability as a negotiating partner, as well as its ability to ensure security over any route, remains an open question. The Taliban’s lack of recognition by the United States and European Union as Afghanistan’s legitimate leadership will also complicate efforts to secure financial assistance from most multilateral development banks, such as the ADB and World Bank.
In addition, a dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan that sparked armed clashes earlier this year remains unresolved. While a tenuous ceasefire has held since March, bilateral tension remains at a high level, a factor that can hamper work on a trade corridor.