Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Afghanistan’s neighbours, including Pakistan, were concerned at the deteriorating political situation in the war-hitcountry. Addressing a joint press conference with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent, the Imran Khan announced that countries including Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and Turkey “will try and help facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan”.
“We are both concerned as neighbours of Afghanistan that the people of Afghanistan have suffered for the last 40 years,” he said while referring to the Uzbek leader.
“And as neighbours, we feel they are our brothers, that there should be peace there, there should be a peaceful political settlement. So we discussed that in detail and we also resolved that the neighbours — Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Pakistan and even Turkey — we will try and help facilitate a peace process in Afganistan.” According to a joint declaration issued after talks between Prime Minister Imran and President Mirziyoyev, the two leaders discussed the security situation in Afghanistan in detail as well as the ongoing peace process.
“The parties stressed the necessity to resolve the conflict through Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political process through peaceful and inclusive negotiations resulting in [a] comprehensive political settlement,” the statement said.
It said the Uzbek president “highly appreciated the role of Pakistan in promoting the peace process in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s contributions to socio-economic development of Afghanistan”.
Prime Minister Imran, meanwhile, hailed Uzbekistan’s efforts for Afghanistan’s socio-economic reconstruction through the implementation of a number of major projects.