Uzbekistan highly values the U.S. policy in Afghanistan, the Foreign Minister, Abdulaziz Kamilov said at a press briefing after the talks with the Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo.
Abdulaziz Kamilov touched upon the issue of ensuring security in Afghanistan.
“The presence of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan is contributing to the peace in the region, reducing the terrorist threat and illicit drug trafficking.
"The war in Afghanistan has been going on for over 40 years. During this time, the essence of the conflict has changed, with various actors going in and out over the time and parties with different interests intervening in the conflict. This conflict cannot be resolved by signing some deals. The peace process can take a long time", he added.
“First and foremost, it is very important to achieve a peaceful solution. Because it is in our own interests, for the national security of Uzbekistan. So far, Uzbekistan has done a lot. We can say that the country has become a part of this whole process,” the minister said.
“There are various opinions, but the U.S. presence has been a stabilizing factor for many years, and the United State have been able to downplay the challenges and threats of terrorism, extremism, illicit drug trafficking, organized crime and more.
"We welcome the direct talks between the U.S. and the Taliban. As we have to act from the current situation. The Taliban is a force to be reckoned with, it is part of the Afghan society that cannot be ignored and it would be wrong to do so,” said Abdulaziz Kamilov.
Abdulaziz Kamilov said that all of what the US authorities have done were the right things to do. He said that Uzbekistan will be only involved with the only goal in mind - to ensure regional security and play its part in the peace process.
“Uzbekistan does not pretend to play any significant role in this process, and the country is adequately evaluating th situation in the region. We do not think that the Afghan problem can be solved with a single push. That is, signing some deal, or by taking an immediate decision,” he concluded.