Participants at the 26th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization’s Council of Ministers stressed the need for engagement with the caretaker government as well as peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The Pakistan Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, said that pushing the Afghan government into isolation will aggravate the suffering of the people of Afghanistan.
“Pushing the interim Afghan government to further isolation will further aggravate suffering of ordinary Afghans,” he said.
This comes as the Uzbekistan Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov met with Bhutto and discussed economic matters and issues related to Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate said that they want good relations in economic and political affairs with regional countries and the world.
“We praise those parts which suggest continuation of relations with Afghanistan and the empowerment of the government, security and stability. I must mention that the Islamic Emirate wants good relations and calls for the cooperation of these countries with Afghanistan,” Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said.
A former diplomat and political analyst, Aziz Maarij, told TOLOnews that in case “all members of the summit reach an agreement over providing aid to Afghanistan, or issue a resolution and urge the international community to provide assistance to Afghanistan, this meeting could be effective.”
There was no representative from Afghanistan at the summit.
Delegations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Turkiye, Turkmenistan and Republic of Uzbekistan (host) as well as the ECO Secretary General participated in the meeting.
