Uzbekistan Not Ready To Recognise Taliban Government In Afghanistan

An envoy of Uzbekistan said that the country is not ready to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Ismatulla Irgashev, the Uzbek president's special representative for Afghanistan, in an interview with Voice of America (VOA), said it would be difficult for the new government in Kabul to qualify for international recognition any time soon, reported Tolo News.

"We will not recognize them alone," he said. "When it happens, we want a collective voice and stand."

While urging greater engagement with the Taliban, Irgashev said Tashkent is committed to moving ahead with formal recognition only in concert with the international community, reported Tolo News.

The Center for European-Asian Studies and the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation held a meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Afghanistan.

Envoys of Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, while emphasizing the need for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, said terrorist activities in Afghanistan are threats to the region.

"The rapid withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the rise of the Taliban has increased the threats against Russia and Central Asian countries, because it has been over eight months that the Taliban government has not fulfilled any of its commitments to the international community. Most importantly. After the political change in Afghanistan, neither women nor representatives of religious and ethnic minorities participate in the government," said Andrey Rusakov, Director of the Center for European-Asian Studies.

"The Taliban have been a part of the Afghan people since the takeover and must respect religious freedom and equality, and it is clear that this freedom has grown equally in Uzbekistan and other countries over the past 30 years," the Uzbekistan envoy said.

Most world governments cite three conditions for recognition of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan - the formation of an "inclusive" government, protection of the rights of women, and steps to ensure that Afghan territory will not become a base for international terrorists.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)