Mirziyoyev urges SCO to engage Taliban in constructive dialogue

north_east

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Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has called for establishing a constructive dialogue with Afghanistan’s Taliban-led interim government. He made the statement on September 1 in Tianjin, China, during a meeting held in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus (SCO+) format.

“It is impossible to ensure stability in our region without taking into account the situation in Afghanistan and without establishing a constructive dialogue between the international community and the Afghan government.

Achieving this goal largely depends on the political will of SCO member states, which are interested in long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan and across the region,” the Uzbek leader said.

Mirziyoyev also expressed Uzbekistan’s readiness to cooperate closely with SCO partners on programs and projects aimed at rebuilding Afghanistan’s economy and strengthening regional integration.

The call reflects Uzbekistan’s consistent advocacy for dialogue on Afghanistan at high-level platforms. At the second Central Asia–China summit in Astana on June 17, Mirziyoyev proposed creating a high-level working group to address the Afghan issue within that format.

On June 11, Mirziyoyev met Nuruddin Azizi, the Taliban’s acting Minister of Industry and Trade, during the Tashkent International Investment Forum — marking his first meeting with a Taliban official. On July 3, he also received Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, at the Economic Cooperation Organization summit in Khankendi.