Turkish, Uzbekistan Leaders Stress Support for Afghanistan

The Presidents of Turkey and Uzbekistan, in the 11th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital, reaffirmed their support for Afghanistan.

The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, highlighted in the meeting that, in his view, a comprehensive approach based on fundamental human rights by the interim Afghan government could open new doors for Afghanistan.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “We do not separate the stability and peace of our region from Afghanistan’s progress. As we have always said, we stand by our Afghan brothers. However, I believe that adopting an inclusive approach based on basic human rights by the interim government will open new opportunities.”

The Uzbekistan president also stressed the importance of establishing a regular communication framework to address Afghanistan’s challenges, emphasizing that Afghanistan’s issues should remain a focal point for the Organization of Turkic States.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of Uzbekistan, also pointed out the significance of cooperation with the interim government in economic and infrastructure sectors to help address Afghanistan’s current challenges.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the president of Uzbekistan, said: “The issue of Afghanistan must always remain central to our organization. In this regard, establishing regular communication at the ministerial and expert levels is crucial. We believe that assisting the current Afghan government in addressing its critical and difficult problems, promoting Afghanistan’s broader participation in regional economic processes, and implementing social and infrastructure projects must be considered.”

Although the Islamic Emirate has yet to comment on these statements from the Turkic leaders, it has previously welcomed any efforts by regional countries aimed at improving the situation in Afghanistan.

“We share close ties in terms of Islam, culture, and religion. We have Turkic communities in Afghanistan who can play a role in strengthening Afghanistan-Turkey relations,” said Moeen Gul Samkanai, political analyst.

The Organization of Turkic States was founded on October 3, 2009, with the participation of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Currently, the organization includes eight member states, comprising seven Turkic-speaking countries along with Hungary.