Photo: Press service of the Surkhandarya Region Administration
In the lead-up to Kurban Khait, the Islamic holiday of sacrifice, Uzbekistan has delivered 183 tons of food aid to neighboring Afghanistan, according to the press service of the Surkhandarya regional administration. The humanitarian shipment was sent on the instructions of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The aid, described as a gesture of goodwill and solidarity from the Uzbek people, included flour, rice, sugar, pasta, confectionery, vegetable oil, instant foods, red beans, and mung beans.
The shipment was delivered to the city of Hairatan in Afghanistan’s Balkh Province, where it was officially handed over to Afghan representatives at the facilities of the Asteras company. The ceremony was attended by Ismatilla Irgashev, the Uzbek president’s special envoy for Afghanistan; Ulugbek Qosimov, governor of Surkhandarya Region; Nurulkhodi Abuidris, deputy governor of Balkh Province; and other officials.
Afghan authorities expressed their gratitude to President Mirziyoyev and the Uzbek people for the continued support and humanitarian assistance. They also extended holiday greetings to Uzbekistan in honor of Kurban Khait.
Uzbekistan has regularly provided humanitarian support to Afghanistan. In March, Tashkent sent nearly 200 tons of food aid, and in May, it delivered agricultural seeds. Kabul, for its part, has also shown gestures of reciprocity: in May, 16 trucks carrying white marble arrived in Uzbekistan for use in the construction of the Imam Bukhari complex in Samarkand.
The Muslim holiday of sacrifice has different names across the region: Kurban-ait in Kazakhstan, Kurman-ait in Kyrgyzstan, Idi Qurbon in Tajikistan, Kurban Bayramy in Turkmenistan, Kurban Khait in Uzbekistan, and Kurban Bayram in Russia. In Arab countries, it is known as Eid al-Adha. This year, the holiday falls on June 6 and is observed as a public holiday across Central Asia.
