President Mirziyoyev Urges Engagement with Afghanistan to Address Security Threats
At the first Central Asia–European Union summit, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan made a strong call for Afghanistan’s involvement in regional projects and urged the international community to engage in dialogue with the Afghan authorities. Addressing issues of regional security and cooperation, President Mirziyoyev emphasized the urgency of collaboration in combating common security threats such as terrorism, extremism, cybercrime, and drug trafficking.
The President expressed support for European partners’ proposal to initiate dialogue on counter-terrorism issues and highlighted the importance of expanding practical cooperation through programs like BOMCA and CADAP. He also reiterated Uzbekistan’s readiness to continue political consultations on ensuring peaceful development in Afghanistan, stressing the need for active engagement with the Afghan side in regional economic processes and infrastructure projects.
Mirziyoyev underscored the lack of attention from the international community towards the threats emanating from Afghan territory and emphasized the importance of establishing constructive dialogue with Afghan authorities to fulfill commitments. He proposed the establishment of a Partnership Committee under the Central Asia–EU format to meet annually at the deputy prime ministerial level to implement mechanisms for realizing initiatives and agreements reached.
In closing, President Mirziyoyev expressed gratitude for the fruitful dialogue and cooperation at the summit and congratulated the leaders on the decision to establish a strategic partnership between the two regions. He called for the preparation of a ‘Roadmap’ within one month to ensure the implementation of agreements and initiatives proposed, highlighting Central Asia’s unity and readiness for broad-based cooperation with Europe.
