According to Uzbekistan’s media, a delegation from this country is set to travel to Kabul this week for talks with Taliban about the Qosh Tepa canal.
On Tuesday, March 7, Uzbekistan’s media reported that the delegation would visit Afghanistan.
According to the report, Uzbekistan’s government is concerned about the decrease in water available for the country’s farmers due to the continued excavation of the Qush Tepa canal by the Taliban.
Taliban had previously said that they were willing to negotiate with Uzbekistan on the Qush Tepa project based on international criteria.
While Afghanistan has not signed any regional or international treaties regarding the use of the Amu River’s water, it is unclear which criteria Taliban referred to, as stated by Uzbekistan’s media.
It is said that the Taliban has completed one-third of the Qosh Tepa canal, which is 285 kilometers long and passes through the Balkh and Jawzjan provinces, with 6,500 workers and 4,100 machinery units over the past year.
The canal irrigates 550,000 hectares of land and passes through the border of Afghanistan with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
It should be noted that officials from Uzbekistan and Taliban had previously held talks on the Qosh Tepa canal last year.
