New perspectives of cooperation: Uzbekistan and Pakistan discussed the creation of joint projects in the field of railway cargo transportation

On June 27, 2024, the management of Uzbekistan Railways JSC held talks with the officials of the National Logistics Corporation (NLC) of Pakistan, where issues of cooperation in the field of transport, logistics and transit trade were discussed. The meeting was held under the leadership of the first deputy chairman of the board of the joint-stock company Uzbekistan Railways Kh. Rakhmetov. Also at the meeting were General Director of Temiryolkargo JSC A. Muminov, Deputy General Director of Uztemiryolkonteiner JSC H. Odilov, Deputy General Director of Uzbekjeldorekspeditsiya JSC S. Salimov and other responsible persons participated. Chairman of NLC Farrukh Shahzod Rao, Project Brigadier Muhammad Yusuf and responsible specialist Shaib Hakwoni participated in the meeting on behalf of Pakistani colleagues. One of the main topics of discussion was the implementation of multimodal railway transport from Pakistan through Uzbekistan to the CIS countries, in particular Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and other countries (during the construction of the Trans-Afghan railway corridor). The Pakistani side expressed interest in this proposal, especially considering the huge demand for transportation of agricultural products. The Uzbek side, offering favorable conditions and discounts for transportation in these directions, emphasized the possibility of using refrigerated wagons for the transportation of agricultural fruits. According to the instructions of the head of state, the Pakistani side noted that the development of railway transport in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a priority. Farrukh Shahzod Rao spoke about NLC's initiatives to develop regional connectivity, especially land transport to Central Asian republics and other countries of the region. He noted that this cooperation will benefit business circles by strengthening trade relations between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, as well as other countries in the region. At the same time, the parties discussed the construction of logistics facilities, warehouses and transit terminals in each country. Also, an agreement was reached on cooperation with the NLC company at Karachi port. According to the results of the meeting, Kh. Rakhmetov and Farrukh Shahzod Rao signed a memorandum of understanding, which envisages several stages of mutual cooperation. It is planned to expand cooperation in the field of multimodal logistics, increase the volume of cargo transportation and attract more cargo through the two countries. *National Logistics Corporation (NLC) is a leading multimodal logistics organization in Pakistan, offering multimodal logistics services, integrated solutions for cross-border transportation and other services.