Relationship dossier
Afghanistan
Uzbekistan
Relationship assessment
Pragmatic engagement centered on trade, electricity, and border security
Afghanistan toward Uzbekistan
+30Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have engaged Uzbekistan on trade and economic cooperation and have given security assurances concerning threats originating from Afghan territory.
Uzbekistan toward Afghanistan
+40Uzbekistan has engaged with Afghanistan's Taliban authorities, continued electricity exports, and facilitated trade and humanitarian assistance, while pursuing plans for regional transport links.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship is shaped by close practical interdependence across the border, including trade, electricity supply, humanitarian assistance, and transport planning. Uzbekistan's engagement with Afghanistan's Taliban authorities reflects a pragmatic approach, while security risks and uncertainty over implementation limit the depth and predictability of cooperation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Afghanistan and Uzbekistan have maintained pragmatic engagement focused on trade, electricity supply, humanitarian assistance, and border security. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Uzbekistan has engaged with the authorities in Kabul while continuing practical economic ties. The relationship combines concrete cooperation with continuing security concerns and uncertainty about how agreements will be implemented.
Key developments
Uzbekistan continued electricity exports to Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power.
Uzbekistan and Afghanistan pursued trade cooperation and plans for a trans-Afghan railway linking Uzbekistan through Afghanistan toward Pakistan.
Uzbekistan provided humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and engaged with the Taliban authorities in Kabul.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of recent trade and infrastructure agreements are unclear.
- The durability of electricity supply and other economic cooperation is uncertain.
- The extent of bilateral security coordination is unclear.