NUR-SULTAN – The heads of the foreign ministries of Central Asia and the United States gathered in Tashkent on July 15 for the regular C5+1 meeting, reports the Kazakh Foreign Ministry press service.
The agreement to meet in the new six-state format was reached during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 in New York. Photo credit: Kazakh Foreign Ministry
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tileuberdi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Mukhriddin, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov, Deputy National Security Advisor to the President of the United States Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan Ibrahim Junusov.
While focusing on the stability in Afghanistan that will see U.S. troops withdrawing from the country by Aug. 31, and joint efforts to facilitate economic recovery, the sides also agreed to promote the institutional strengthening of the C5+1 platform and use it to address common problems.
Addressing the meeting, Minister Tileuberdi stressed the importance of expanding regional cooperation in biosafety, trade and investment cooperation, energy, climate change, human capital development, and combating human trafficking.
Minister Tileuberdi. Photo credit: Kazakh Foreign Ministry
On the same day, the minister met with the U.S. delegation headed by Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall to discuss the upcoming high-level talks, the current situation in Afghanistan, and the promotion of inter-Afghan dialogue.
The sides noted an expanded strategic partnership between the two countries in all areas of cooperation. “This year marks the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. We are pleased to say that our partnership is evolving in a spirit of friendship, trust, and mutual respect,” said Tileuberdi.
