Talks on Afghanistan in its absence futile: Tashkent

ATLANTA (Pajhwok): Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi says Afghanistan is ready to launch work on the trans Afghan railway project.

Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), tweeted Muttaqi met his Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov on the sidelines of the Samarkand meeting.

In addition to thanking Uzbekistan for hosting the meeting, Muttaqi said Afghanistan and Uzbekistan had a shared religion and language and they were good economic partners.

He voiced Afghanistan’s readiness to initiate work on trans-Afghan railroad, which could play a positive role in the region’s economic integration.

He also praised the president of Uzbekistan for his positive stance on the situation in Afghanistan and efforts to address its problems.

For his part, Saidov claimed Uzbekistan always supported peace and stability in Afghanistan and was happy to see Muttaqi in Samarkand.

He added Afghanistan must be involved in discussions about the challenges facing it. Without the presence of Afghanistan, he argued, such discussions would be an exercise in futility.

Saidov stressed the frozen assets of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) must be released for the welfare and economic reconstruction of the war-battered country.

He  emphasized on his country’s policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations.

The host foreign minister noted the level of trade between the two countries reached $800 million in the past yearl He hoped the trade volume would further rise in the future.

aw/mud

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