Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A meeting was held at the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan with experts from the European Institute for Peace Patrick de Vries and Marian Zumbulev, a leading Belgian think tank implementing a research project on Afghanistan.

During the conversation, the guests were informed about the positions and approaches of Uzbekistan in the Afghan direction, ensuring peace and stability in the region, as well as restoring the historical interconnection between Central and South Asia.

In particular, speaking about the current socio-economic situation in Afghanistan, A. Nematov, First Deputy Director of ISMI, emphasized that today Afghanistan is facing a number of complex economic, social and political problems. This country will not be able to cope with them on its own, it needs the help and assistance of the international community.

In this regard, it was noted that in the current difficult period, the world community should consolidate efforts and prevent a repetition of the situation of the 90s, when Afghanistan was engulfed in civil war, becoming a haven for international terrorists, a hotbed of drug production and arms smuggling.

According to the representative of the ISMI, at present one of the most important factors in achieving peace on Afghan soil is the coordination of the efforts of the countries of the region and the formation of common approaches to normalize the situation in this country.

In this context, according to A. Nematov, the implementation of joint trans-regional mutually beneficial transport, energy infrastructure projects, on the one hand, will contribute to the transfer of the Afghan economy to the path of peaceful development, and on the other hand, contribute to reaching a consensus between the countries of the region on the need to establish a lasting peace in Afghanistan .

In turn, European experts praised Uzbekistan’s efforts to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan. Welcoming the pragmatic and constructive approach of Uzbekistan, Patrick de Vries agreed that the top priority today should be to help overcome the humanitarian crisis and restore the economy. According to him, the social and infrastructure projects implemented by Uzbekistan in Afghanistan will give a tangible impetus to the socio-economic reconstruction of the neighboring country.

At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed their readiness to continue contacts and hold joint events on topical issues of regional and international topics.

The European Institute for Peace (EIP) is a think tank based in Brussels. The statute establishing it was signed on February 18, 2014 by the ministers of Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland. The stated goal of the European Peace Institute is to assist in conflict resolution and effective response to them.