European Union and Central Asian Special Representatives for Afghanistan met in Ashgabat
The fourth meeting of the European Union and Central Asian Special Representatives for Afghanistan was held on May 26, 2023 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The event was attended by EU Special Representative for Central Asia Terhi Hakala, EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva, representatives of the World Bank (in an online format) and the Special Representatives of Central Asian countries for Afghanistan.
The participants noted the importance of continuing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, preventing the isolation of Afghanistan, and the need to unfreeze the country's international assets.
They called on the interim Afghan authorities to fulfill the requirements of the international community in the areas of creating an inclusive and representative government, respecting the rights and freedoms of citizens, especially women, and preventing the use of the territory of Afghanistan for terrorist purposes.
Particular attention was also paid to the joint use of water resources in the region. The importance of mutual consideration of neighboring countries' interests and rational use of the region's water resources was underscored.
It was stressed that there are opportunities for developing common proposals between the EU and Central Asian countries on resolving the situation in Afghanistan.
The delegations positively considered the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan to create an International Negotiating Group under the auspices of the UN, which could be part of the overall proposals of this format for the UN Roadmap for Afghanistan.
As a result of the event, the Joint Statement was adopted.
