The Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov in an interview to the newspaper Pravda Vostoka spoke about the situation in Afghanistan and the its connectivity to the regional trade and economic ties.
According to him, a new situation is indeed developing in Afghanistan, but "this is a new reality that we must deal with."
The Foreign Minister believes that the situation in this country will still remain a factor of tension in the region, given the terrorist groups still remaining on the territory of Afghanistan.
“Nevertheless, one should take into account the fact that Afghanistan is a source of not only challenges and threats, but also new opportunities that can be used as the basis for constructive, creative regional projects. It is in our interests to prevent the international isolation of Afghanistan and the appearance of a “cast-away country” on our southern borders, to prevent the scenario of the late 90s of the last century from being repeated, ”he said.
Abdulaziz Kamilov stressed that Uzbekistan "proceeds from the need not only to prevent the isolation of Afghanistan, but also to step up the provision of humanitarian aid to it."
“We opened the border with Afghanistan and resumed the supply of essential goods - food, oil products and electricity. Tashkent also advocates for unfreezing the Afghan state assets in foreign banks, calls on the world community to continue the implementation of social, economic and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, ”he said.
It was with the aim of solving these problems, according to him, that the official delegation of Uzbekistan visited Kabul on October 7 and held talks with the leadership and members of the caretaker government of Afghanistan.
“Uzbekistan does not have any hidden or ambiguous agenda for Afghanistan. Our position is unambiguous, and our actions are transparent and pragmatic. Uzbekistan is interested in the establishment of Afghanistan as a peaceful and independent state. Afghan soil should no longer pose a threat to the countries of the region and international security,” the minister said.
In his opinion, Afghanistan should become not an obstacle, but a bridge for strengthening mutual cooperation between Central and South Asia. This will be facilitated by trans-Afghan transport and communication projects, which Uzbekistan intends to further promote together with international partners.
Abdulaziz Kamilov, following his visit to Kabul, said that the new leadership of Afghanistan had provided "firm and concrete guarantees" that it would not allow the emergence of threats and danger to Uzbekistan from Afghanistan. According to him, the Uzbek language and culture will continue to develop under the new government. He added that in the near future the working groups of the two countries will gather in Termez.
