TASHKENT. Oct 29 (Interfax) - The Uzbek authorities intend to encourage positive steps by the new Afghan authorities, Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov said.
"From our perspective, the Taliban [banned in Russia] are well aware of reality. The new government really wants to integrate into the regional and wider international community. They stand ready to take certain positive steps," Kamilov was quoted as saying by Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yusup Kabulzhanov on Telegram on Friday.
The Taliban "have already begun taking certain steps that we support and encourage, and we will work together with them in this context," Kamilov said.
When commenting on the results of the recent Moscow-format consultations on Afghanistan, Kamilov said that the participants outlined the key problems that require a solution, and Uzbekistan and Russia see eye to eye on the Afghan problem.
"Moreover, this creates a reliable groundwork for our joint efforts to tackle such an acute problem as the Afghan issue," Kamilov said.
Nearly all members of Afghanistan's interim government participated in the October 16 meeting in Termez, an Uzbek city on the border with Afghanistan, he said.
"The parties agreed to cooperate not only at the top level, at the level of the country's leadership, but also horizontally in order to enable every ministry and agency to coordinate their steps in almost all spheres, such as security along the border, economic ties, trade, humanitarian aid, and education," Kamilov said.
Uzbekistan established contacts with the Taliban movement back in the 1990s, Kamilov said. In 1999, Uzbekistan hosted a conference to which a Taliban delegation led by Amir Khan Motaqi was invited. Motaqi currently holds the post of acting Afghan foreign minister.
On October 16 of this year, the city of Termez hosted Uzbek-Afghan talks, which focused on trade and economic interaction, steps to maintain security along the border, and transport infrastructure projects. Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investment and Foreign Minister Sardor Umurzakov led his country's delegation at the talks, while the Afghan delegation was headed by the interim government's Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi.
An Uzbek delegation led by Foreign Minister Kamilov visited Kabul on October 7 to hold talks with the Afghan interim government's Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Kabir.