Crossroads Asia

Can Uzbekistan Help Mediate the Afghan Conflict?

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Crossroads Asia

Can Uzbekistan Help Mediate the Afghan Conflict?

Mirziyoyev has worked hard to position Uzbekistan as an effective mediator in the Afghanistan conflict.

Can Uzbekistan Help Mediate the Afghan Conflict?
Credit: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan

On June 19, 2018, Uzbekistan invited representatives of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government and the Taliban to hold peace talks in Tashkent on Afghanistan’s political future. This call for dialogue was triggered by the Taliban’s acquiescence to a three-day ceasefire with Ghani in early June.

As Uzbekistan hosted major Afghanistan peace talks in March, Tashkent’s call for further dialogue was widely viewed as a reaffirmation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s desire to increase Uzbekistan’s diplomatic influence on the world stage. Uzbekistan believes it could be an effective mediator in the Afghanistan conflict for three reasons.

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