Turkmenistan, China, Russia and the United States were among the nine nations that participated in a virtual discussion on Thursday convened by the UN Secretariat to address regional efforts to support peace in Afghanistan.
The discussions on Thursday focused on a "comprehensive peace process in Afghanistan through intra-Afghan negotiations and on the importance of regional cooperation in support to Afghanistan", Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said in a press briefing.
Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the U.S. and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting held in a video conference format.
Dujarric said the format brought together the states “in recognition of the importance of the region to Afghanistan's stability and sustainable development".
The spokesperson said the participants at the meeting expressed solidarity with Afghanistan in its quest for peace, security and prosperity and echoed the Secretary‑General’s call for peace building measures, especially in light of the urgent need to combat the spread of the virus.
"The United Nations stands ready to deliver life saving assistance to people in need and is committed to the peaceful development of Afghanistan," Dujarric said.
On February 20, the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed the Decree, approving the Programme for the provision of humanitarian aid by Turkmenistan in the context of the peaceful development of Afghanistan in 2020-2022.