Oliver Stolpe, the Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran, and Pakistan, met with Uzbekistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, emphasizing the importance of establishing peace, stability, and delivering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
According to a statement from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides agreed to continue exchanging views on the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime.
The statement also highlighted Stolpe’s commendation of Uzbekistan’s efforts in fostering long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan, as well as creating a unified regional approach toward the country.
The statement reads: “Mr. Stolpe highly appreciated Uzbekistan’s efforts in developing a consolidated regional position on Afghanistan, establishing long-term peace and stability in the country, and providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.” It further said: “The parties agreed to maintain regular contact and continue exchanging views on current and future efforts to combat drug trafficking and crime.”
Political analyst Salim Paigir remarked: “Uzbekistan has developed strong relations with the Afghan people over the past three years and has acted as a direct bridge between Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries. They have provided various forms of assistance and made substantial investments in Afghanistan.”
Another political analyst, Moeen Gul Samkani, noted: “Uzbekistan has often promised to help with development projects in Afghanistan, and they have consistently followed through on those promises.”
Uzbekistan is one of the few countries that maintains good relations with Afghanistan’s interim government. On October 10th this year, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs received the credentials of Abdul Ghaffar Bahr, the Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s political office in Qatar, also described the relationship between the interim Afghan government and Uzbekistan as positive, noting that they are in regular contact on various issues.
“Recently, Uzbekistan accepted the Islamic Emirate’s ambassador. We are also in ongoing communication with their embassy in Doha, frequently discussing how to improve relations between the two countries,” Suhail Shaheen said.
Earlier, Abdusalom Azizov, the head of Intelligence and Border Security for Uzbekistan, described the country’s cooperation with Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism as vital during a general meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.