SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES FOR AFGHANISTAN IN THE "CA-EU" FORMAT MET IN ASHGABAT

On May 26, 2023, the fourth meeting of the EU and Central Asia Special Representatives and Special Envoys for Afghanistan was held in the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan. The forum was attended by special representatives and special envoys of the EU, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for Afghanistan and the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan R.Otunbayeva, the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, the Consuls General of Turkmenistan in Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif. The directors of the World Bank branches in Afghanistan and Kazakhstan have also participated via videoconference.

During the meeting, a detailed exchange of views took place on priority issues of regional security and development, as well as problems related to the socio-economic situation in Afghanistan.

It was noted that meetings of special representatives in this format have become regular and serve as a positive platform for developing approaches to ensuring peace and security in Afghanistan.

The current meeting provided an opportunity for an in-depth exchange of information on events and the economic situation in Afghanistan, as well as an opportunity to discuss further cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The parties expressed their firm commitment to turning Afghanistan into a stable, peaceful and prosperous country and recognized the efforts of the international community to continue to provide assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

During the meeting, the prospects for economic stabilization and recovery of Afghanistan were discussed, the importance of creating favorable conditions for economic activity, the financial and banking sector and the restoration of the socio-economic infrastructure in Afghanistan was noted.

The participants of the meeting stressed the need to continue dialogue and cooperation within the framework of the "Central Asia - European Union" format and expressed a common opinion that in order to stabilize the political, economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, a broad consolidation of the international community is necessary - the states of the world, primarily the Central Asian region, as well as authoritative international structures.

Interest was also expressed in close cooperation to implement of joint projects related to the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the integration of the country into the system of global relations.

As a result of the meeting, a Joint Statement was adopted.