Uzbekistan to assist Afghans in social, economic recovery
By Sara Rajabova
Uzbekistan and United Nation’s high-ranking officials have discussed the situation in Afghanistan, which is still struggling to recover after a long-running war.
Abdulaziz Kamilov, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister and Nicholas Haysom, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and the Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan discussed topical international and regional issues in Tashkent, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry reported on February 10.
They paid particular attention to the situation in Afghanistan. It was noted that on this issue, the Uzbek side took an open and clear stance, as it was set out in a number of speeches of President Islam Karimov and in the Foreign Policy Concept.
The minister said Tashkent adheres to non-interferencein the domestic affairs of Afghanistan, working with the country on a bilateral basis and providing targeted assistance to the Afghan people in the social and economic recovery, in the transport and communications, energy and other areas.
Afghanistan’s economy and society are still fragile after decades of warfare that left about 2 million dead, 700,000 widows and orphans, and about 1 million Afghan children grew up in the refugee camps outside Afghanistan. More than 3.5 million Afghan refugees have returned home although a comparable number remain outside Afghanistan.
War-wretched Afghanistan is currently cooperating with its neighbors and other countries to stabilize the situation and improving the well-being of the people in the country.
Uzbekistan stated that the only way to end the war and to achieve stability in Afghanistan is a search for a political and peaceful solution to the Afghan problems through negotiations and building consensus between different conflicting sides and formation of a strong government, which could be presented by the representatives of national-ethnic groups of the country.
Tashkent also cooperates with the United States on ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan.
After over 13 years, the U.S. and NATO have formally ended their war in Afghanistan. However, with rising Taliban threat, the U.S. is delaying its withdrawal plans, saying it will keep more troops than previously announced.
From January 2015, the new U.S.-led mission will provide training and support for Afghanistan's military, with the U.S. accounting for almost 11,000 members of the residual force. The Congressional Research Service said the war in Afghanistan has already cost the U.S. taxpayer $686 billion throughout the 13 years - roughly $144 million a day.
Uzbekistan and Afghanistan also are working on expanding their economic and trade relations through railway transport. Transport sector development is regarded as vital for sustained growth and poverty reduction in this landlocked region and railways are a critical part of the transport sector in the region.
The Hairatan-Uzbekistan rail project is the first substantial common carrier rail road project in Afghanistan. The construction of the project was started in January 2010 and completed in November 2010. The line was first opened to the public in August 2011.
The project aimed to boost freight volumes and the profile of Afghanistan as a transit hub. Afghanistan is centrally located and has the potential to become the focal point for transportation of goods to Central Asia, Pakistan, South East Asia and Europe.
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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova
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