A Taliban delegation arrives in Uzbekistan to discuss trade and humanitarian aid

The Uzbek side is represented in the talks by the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Sardor Umurzakov, while the Taliban delegation is led by the Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi, who is himself a Uzbek.

Delegations meet in Termez at the southern border of Uzbekistan.

According to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, the issues of trade and economic cooperation, border security, cooperation in energy, international freight transport and transit are being discussed.

Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have taken a pragmatic stance against the Taliban, which have quickly taken control of the whole of Afghanistan. In recent years, the governments of both countries have established direct channels of communication with the Taliban to develop cross-border infrastructure projects, while Tajikistan has avoided formal talks.

This week, the Taliban’s interim government met for the first time in person with a joint US-European delegation in Qatar.

Brussels has pledged a € 1 billion package of aid to Afghanistan to “prevent a massive humanitarian and socio-economic collapse”. The EUR 300 million previously pledged by the EU for urgent humanitarian needs is set to add another EUR 250 million, with the remainder going to Afghanistan’s neighbors hosting Afghans fleeing the Taliban regime.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Hans Mutaki met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Chavushogl in Ankara on Thursday, calling on world governments to freeze frozen Afghanistan accounts to alleviate the serious humanitarian crisis, but stressing that Turkey is not ready to officially recognize the Taliban.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said this week that three humanitarian shipments would be flown to Termez in the near future to be transported by truck to Afghanistan.