An international videoconference titled “The Future of Afghanistan: A View from Central Asia and Iran” takes place
11/07/2020 18:29
An international videoconference titled “The Future of Afghanistan: A View from Central Asia and Iran” takes place
11/07/2020 18:29
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – An international videoconference titled “The Future of Afghanistan: A View from Central Asia and Iran” was held.
The forum was organized by the leading think tank of India, the Observer Research Foundation, which has been holding an annual high-level forum, Ricein Dialog, annually since 2016 with the participation of heads of government, foreign ministers, and leading experts in security and economics.
During the online dialogue, a thorough exchange of views took place on the current situation in Afghanistan, the prospects for state building and the socio-economic recovery of this country, and the strengthening of trans-regional interconnectedness between Central and South Asia.
Speaking at the conference, A. Nematov, First Deputy Director of ISMI under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, noted that Uzbekistan has traditionally pursued a friendly policy towards Afghanistan, supporting the government elected by the Afghan people. This policy has acquired a holistic, comprehensive and dynamic character with the election of Shavkat Mirziyoyev as president of the country.
Nematov emphasized that strengthening good neighborliness, friendship, mutual trust and mutual understanding in Central Asia were declared a key priority of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy. At the same time, the head of Uzbekistan proposed considering Afghanistan as an integral part of Central Asia and taking a completely new look at this country. It is necessary to begin to consider Afghanistan not as a country from whose territory a threat to peace and stability comes, but as a friendly partner and neighbor. Mutually beneficial cooperation with Afghanistan, peace and stability in this country will allow launching trans-regional projects in the field of transport, energy, trade, and strengthening the interconnectedness between Central and South Asia. This will become a powerful driver for the sustainable development of Central and South Asia; moreover, joint economic development programs will help achieve consensus among stakeholders on the need for long-term peace in Afghanistan.
An important practical contribution to stabilizing the situation in the neighboring country was the international conference on Afghanistan, which was held in March 2018 in Tashkent at the initiative of the presidents of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan - Sh. Mirziyoyev and A. Ghani.
The main outcome of this meeting was the adoption of the Tashkent Declaration, which consolidated a consolidated position at the global and regional levels on the need for an early start of direct negotiations between the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban.
This forum was a logical continuation of the Kabul process and once again reaffirmed the leadership role of the Afghans themselves in resolving the conflict in Afghanistan.
Fully supporting the position of Uzbekistan, the director of the international non-governmental organization “Her Afghanistan” M. Wardak stated that speedy peace and stability in Afghanistan are important both for the well-being and prosperity of the Afghan people, and for increasing regional cooperation to a new level. Moreover, in her words, the effective development of the peace process largely depends on the active participation of the countries neighboring Afghanistan and the achievement of a common vision between them to resolve the situation in the country.
Commenting on the upcoming intra-Afghan talks between Kabul and the Taliban, the Director of the Department for International Affairs and Regional Cooperation of the Security Council of Afghanistan A. Shuja emphasized the importance of supporting the current peace process by the international community, including Central Asian countries. According to him, a completely new political atmosphere of good neighborliness and mutual trust in Central Asia, which has been formed in recent years thanks to the new regional course of Uzbekistan headed by Sh. Mirziyoyev, has created favorable conditions for enhancing cooperation between the countries of the region and Afghanistan. With full support in Kabul, these positive trends contribute to a more dynamic integration of Afghanistan into the economic processes in Central Asia, and to the consistent progress of the peace process in the country.
Recognizing the importance of the efforts of the Central Asian countries in resolving the Afghan conflict, experts praised the adoption of the Joint Statement last November in Tashkent at the Consultative Meeting of the Presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, where the leaders of Central Asian countries reaffirmed their strong political will to promote integration Afghanistan’s regional trade and economic ties as an important condition for achieving a sustainable and long-term peace in the country.
The Iranian expert, the head of the Center for Applied Research in partnership with the East, A. Tabatabay, expressed the view that strengthening regional cooperation in Central Asia allows using the untapped potential and opportunities for inter-regional cooperation in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan. Close cooperation and coordination of efforts in the Afghan direction will allow to ensure the effectiveness of ongoing economic and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, the success of which will have a positive impact on the stability of the neighboring regions - the Middle East and South Asia.
In turn, the expert of the Indian analytical center Observer Research Foundation K. Taneya noted that today India, like the countries of Central Asia, gives priority to establishing long-term stability and sustainable peace in Afghanistan. According to him, the settlement of the situation in Afghanistan opens up wide opportunities for building up trade, economic and investment ties, strengthening transport and communication interaction between the countries of Central and South Asia. In this regard, India is promoting the development of the infrastructure of the Iranian port of Chabahar, which can deepen the strategic interconnectedness not only between India, Iran and Afghanistan, but also the regions of Central and South Asia as a whole.
Taneja emphasized the high interest of the Indian side in maintaining a regular dialogue with leading experts from the countries of Central and South Asia in order to discuss and develop new mutually beneficial joint projects in the field of economy, transport and energy, designed to bring trans-regional cooperation to a new level.
Speaking about the prospects of the Afghan peace process, experts welcomed the agreement between the political leaders of Afghanistan on the creation of an inclusive government and the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation. It is noted that the unification of all political forces around national interests will contribute to the early launch of the inter-Afghan dialogue and the end of the Afghan crisis.
For the early launch of peaceful inter-Afghan negotiations, analysts once again emphasized the need to consolidate the efforts of the international community. At the same time, experts agreed that the Afghan people themselves must decide the configuration of the political system of Afghanistan, the future nature and form of its political system. The main thing is that it should ensure an inclusive political process, become a guarantor of achieving national harmony in the country.
In this regard, it was noted that Afghanistan’s commitment to a democratic path of development will not only achieve sustainable peace and long-term stability in the country, but will also contribute to the successful integration of Afghanistan into the Central Asian region and fully realize the potential of regional trade and economic cooperation, thus ensuring prosperity and well-being in Central and South Asia.
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