INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Stabilising the situation in Afghanistan and its reconstruction are in the common interests of the Central Asian countries and the
European Union, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said.
Speaking in an interview with Euronews released Tuesday, Mirziyoyev
mentioned that his country&s approach to Afghanistan has always been pragmatic and strategically oriented toward the long term.
&We have
never isolated or turned away from our neighbour
We have always believed that Afghanistan&s development is impossible without constructive engagement with neighbouring countries, including
Uzbekistan as its closest and most important partner,& he said.
Mirziyoyev said that many who initially disagreed with Uzbekistan&s policy
on Afghanistan are now compelled to recognize its correctness and inevitability.
The Uzbek leader also criticized the former regime in
Afghanistan for its inability to establish full control over the country&s territory, its unwillingness to engage in dialogue with the
opposition, its lack of intent to form an inclusive government
He added that widespread corruption permeated all levels of the former administration.
&The current leadership has managed to stabilise
the situation in Afghanistan and redirect its resources toward infrastructure development, including airports, domestic railway networks,
and water and energy facilities, as well as toward reducing opium cultivation,& he said.
Mirziyoyev said that Afghanistan should be
viewed through &the lens of emerging strategic opportunities.&
&It is critically important to integrate Afghanistan into global economic
processes, including through the implementation of infrastructure projects on its territory,& he said.
Expressing readiness to jointly work
with the European Union on Afghanistan, he said that the primary task at this stage is to continue to providing assistance in the field of
education.
&I am convinced that stabilising the situation in Afghanistan and its reconstruction are in the common interests of the
Central Asian countries and the European Union,& he said.
The post Afghanistan&s reconstruction is in the interest of EU: Uzbek
president first appeared on TINS News.
