Fourth ministerial meeting of neighboring countries of Afghanistan held in Samarkand

Bishkek, April 14, 2023. / Kabar/. The fourth ministerial meeting of the neighboring countries of Afghanistan was held in Samarkand on Thursday under the chairmanship of the Uzbek side, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan reported.

The event was attended by the heads of the foreign ministries of Iran, China, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The participants discussed the current situation in Afghanistan, the implementation by the current authorities of this country of the key requirements of the world community - the creation of an inclusive government, ensuring access for Afghan women to work and education, and respect for the rights of national minorities.

Particular attention was drawn to the need to develop a mechanism for joint action aimed at providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and restoring the country's national economy.

The importance of strengthening the measures of the countries-neighbors of this country in the fight against international terrorism, production and smuggling of drugs was stated.

The importance of promoting the disclosure of the potential of Afghanistan as a key factor in regional interconnectedness between Central and South Asia was noted.

In this context, the parties spoke in favor of the implementation of infrastructure and socio-economic projects in Afghanistan with the participation of neighboring states, which will contribute not only to the creation of new jobs, but also to a more active integration of this country into regional economic processes, the report said.

The first meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the countries neighboring Afghanistan was held in September 2021 in the format of a video conference, the second - in Tehran in October 2021, the third - in March 2022 in the Chinese city of Tunxi in the eastern province of Anhui, following which a joint statement of the parties was adopted and the Tunxi Initiative to support the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan.