Termez Cargo Center logistics center in Surkhandarya, by the June 21 presidential decree, was assigned the status of an International Multifunctional Transport and Logistics Hub for provision of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and other states.
This was done in order to ensure the centralized and targeted delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and other states by the UN, other international organizations and foreign states on a systematic basis.
Since 2021, the hub, which has the infrastructure to provide a wide range of transport and logistics services and is located less than 2 km from the border of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, has been used by UN agencies and other international organizations as a logistics hub to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and other countries. .
In mid-October, Termez Cargo Center received more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid intended for Afghanistan from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Later, the cargo was sent to Mazar-i-Sharif by truck. UNHCR then thanked Uzbekistan for assistance.
With the assigning of the status, the Cargo Center has been assigned additional tasks:
- facilitating for representatives of interested international organizations and foreign states using the International Hub to provide humanitarian assistance;
- ensuring the reception, storage and dispatch of humanitarian aid sent by international organizations and foreign states to Afghanistan and other states, using air, rail and road transport;
- provision of complex transport and logistics services, including loading and unloading operations, transportation and storage of goods, as well as compliance with the requirements of sanitary rules, norms and hygienic standards.
Taking into account the inclusion of Termez Cargo Center in the Register of Participants of the Termez International Trade Center in the territory of the international hub:
- the provision of customs, tax, phytosanitary, veterinary, transport, banking services, certification services, currency exchange, mobile communications, medical and hotel services, maintenance of vehicles and other services on a one-stop basis, as well as in an interactive form, is being introduced;
- when moving across the customs border of goods sent to Afghanistan and other states as humanitarian aid, their customs clearance is carried out in a priority and simplified manner.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was instructed to inform the international community about the creation of an international hub and ensure timely and prompt consideration of documents on applications and appeals for entry into Uzbekistan of representatives of international organizations and foreign states using the international hub.
On the night of June 22, a devastating 6.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in Afghanistan. According to the latest data, about 1,000 people died and 1,500 were injured, TOLOnews said.
Uzbekistan expressed condolences to the people of Afghanistan the day before and stated that the country's government is ready to assist in overcoming the consequences of the natural disaster.