Heads of foreign affairs agencies of the Central Asian countries and the delegation of the United States in a C5+1 meeting in Uzbek capital of Tashkent on Thursday expressed interest in continuing the diplomatic dialogue aimed at strengthening cooperation to counter threats and challenges to regional security.
The U.S. delegation was led by Homeland Security Advisor for the U.S. President Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and included the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan said in its press release.
The meeting participants expressed their commitment to creating a stable and prosperous environment conducive to a peaceful settlement of the situation in Afghanistan.
The officials also discussed key vectors of cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and the U.S. in the political-diplomatic, trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian fields. The fight against climate change and environmental issues, the development of the transport-transit potential of the region were outlined among the priority areas of interaction.
The sides also exchanged views on strengthening the interconnection between South and Central Asia in line with the themes of the High-Level International Conference that will be held in Tashkent.
Upon the outcomes of the talks, the officials adopted a Joint Statement.
The C5+1 format serves as a multilateral mechanism of interaction between the five Central Asian countries and the U.S. The dialogue focuses on economic development, regional cooperation and security issues. The first meeting with the participation of the foreign ministers of six countries was held on November 1, 2015 in Samarkand.
