The first trilateral meeting "Uzbekistan-USA-Afghanistan" took place via video conferencing Wednesday, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The event was attended by the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs of the United States, David Hale, and the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Hanif Atmar.

The parties noted that this format is a consultative mechanism for developing practical proposals aimed at promoting the peace process in Afghanistan, reviving the country's economy, as well as actively involving it in regional economic processes.

They welcomed the conclusion of a power-sharing in Afghanistan on May 17 on the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and the creation of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation, the continuation of the practice of releasing prisoners from both the Afghan government and the Taliban.

The importance of the swift implementation of infrastructure projects was emphasized, such as the construction of the Surkhan-Pul-e-Khumri transmission line, the Mazar-i-Sharif-Herat railway line, and the Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul railway route with further access to Pakistani seaports.

Participants in the videoconference noted that the COVID-19 pandemic further highlights the need for expanding international cooperation in providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, primarily with medicines and food. In this context, the officials of the United States and Afghanistan reportedly expressed their gratitude to the leadership of Uzbekistan for ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of goods to Afghanistan, as well as transit cargo transportation during the spread of coronavirus.

In order to optimize the work and efficiently build interaction within the framework of the trilateral format, the parties agreed to create the relevant working groups on the discussed areas of cooperation.

Following the event, the Joint Statement of the tripartite meeting “Uzbekistan-USA-Afghanistan” was adopted.