NATO summit supports results of the Tashkent conference on Afghanistan

Along with the discussion of the current agenda of the Alliance, special attention was paid to the prospects for a peaceful settlement in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The summit participants adopted a Joint Statement on the Mission "Strong Support" in Afghanistan, in which they noted with special appreciation the results of the conference of the Kabul Process for Peace and Security Cooperation in Afghanistan, held on 28 February, and the Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan “Peace Process, Cooperation in the Sphere of Security and Regional Cooperation”, held on 26-27 March on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The statement of the leaders of the NATO member states was another confirmation of the recognition by the world community of the importance of the policy and international initiatives of the Head of Uzbekistan to promote a political settlement of the situation in Afghanistan and its involvement in regional economic processes. The resolution of the UN General Assembly on Central Asia, adopted on 22 June 2018, also highlights the importance of the Tashkent conference in the final resolution of the Afghan conflict.

As is known, representatives of the majority of NATO member countries, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary General of the Alliance, took part in the Tashkent conference, along with many other guests. This forum was a turning point, contributing to the consolidation of the efforts of the international community to support the process of national reconciliation in Afghanistan, led by and the efforts of the Afghans themselves.

Broad support for the initiatives of the leadership of Uzbekistan is due to the fact that the Tashkent Declaration, unanimously adopted by the participants in the meeting, has become an indicator of a strong international consensus and a political basis for joint actions at the regional and global levels to advance the peace process in Afghanistan.

The political atmosphere formed within the framework of the conference in the capital of Uzbekistan was called "Tashkent spirit" and stimulated the activation of a constructive dialogue between all parties involved in the processes in Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan welcomes the efforts and initiatives of other states and organizations aimed at supporting national reconciliation in Afghanistan, and will continue its policy of supporting the peace process, achieving stability in this country, as well as its socioeconomic revival.

In his speech at the Tashkent Forum on Afghanistan, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed the need to provide principled political support for the peace process and financial assistance to the socio-economic reconstruction of Afghanistan by leading powers and donor organizations.

The statement by NATO leaders on the need to reach a political solution to the Afghan conflict on the basis of national consensus and the relevant decisions taken in Brussels on 12 July are fully in tune with the appeal of the head of Uzbekistan to the broad international community.