Taliban delegation in Tashkent

On July 25, the International Conference “Afghanistan: Security and Economic Development” started in the city of Tashkent.

Photo: Internet

The conference, which will last two days, will be attended by a delegation from the Taliban movement and representatives from more than 20 countries and international organizations. The Afghan delegation is headed by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban government.

According to Uzbek media, the aim of this conference is “to create conditions for constructive discussion and the development of agreed approaches to building a pragmatic dialogue with the new authorities of Afghanistan, the goal of which will be to address the key demands of the international community on the part of the Afghan Interim Government, particularly regarding preventing Afghan territory from becoming a source of permanent threats to the security interests of neighboring countries and other states around the world.”

The authorities of Uzbekistan emphasized that the presence of the Taliban delegation at the conference does not imply official recognition of their government.

It is reported that after the conference, there will also be a meeting of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, where the situation in Afghanistan is also expected to be discussed.

At the same time, some Afghan pro-democracy groups criticized this conference for the presence of the Taliban delegation in Uzbekistan. In particular, Fawzia Koofi, a member of the Afghan government’s negotiation team with the Taliban, criticized the presence of the Taliban at international events.

“Inviting the Taliban to the conference in Uzbekistan does not help the people of Afghanistan. To secure their countries from global military extremism, countries are bribing the Taliban. In the short term, catering to military power can only contribute to the further growth of extremism in the region,” writes Fawzia Koofi on her Twitter page.

According to an analysis by political and regional experts, the political crisis in Afghanistan has a direct impact on neighboring countries, which is why they are trying by all means to reduce risks and dangers.