Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A delegation of Uzbekistan headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sherzod Asadov today took part in the annual meeting of the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Central Asia and Afghanistan in the format of a videoconference organized by the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA ), Dunyo news agency reported.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the event was attended by the UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Central Asia and the head of UNRCCA Natalia German, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative / Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Deborah Lyons, as well as deputy heads of foreign affairs agencies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.

The parties considered topical issues of regional policy and security, the state and prospects of interaction between the Central Asian states and Afghanistan.

An exchange of views took place on the activities of the UNRCCA, cooperation of the Central Asian countries with this structure, the results achieved and plans for 2021.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan briefed the participants on the initiatives of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to comprehensively strengthen cooperation in the region, an important mechanism of which is the regularly held Consultative Meetings of Heads of State. The progress achieved in resolving important regional issues, including the legalization of borders, the joint use of transport communications, and the building up of the scale of interaction in areas of mutual interest, was emphasized.

Special attention was paid to the work carried out by Uzbekistan to expand ties with Afghanistan, promote peaceful inter-Afghan negotiations and assist in the socio-economic recovery of the neighboring country.

The Uzbek delegation presented the Concept of holding an international conference in 2021 in Tashkent together with UNRCCA on the topic "On the results of implementation and prospects for interaction within the framework of the Joint Plan of the Central Asian States on the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy."

Other issues of the regional agenda were also discussed at the event.