- publish: 1 November 2015
- time: 7:26 pm
- category: International
- No: 1991
US State Secretary, Uzbek President Discuss Situation in Afghanistan
US State Secretary John Kerry and Uzbek President Islam Karimov discussed the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the regional security, Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, Kerry arrived in Uzbekistan to hold meetings with the country’s leadership and the foreign ministers of Central Asian republics.
“During the meeting, a detailed exchange of views on the actual regional problems with the focus on the security issues in the context of development of situation in Afghanistan,” the statement said.
Afghanistan continues to be in a state of political and social turmoil as several militant groups, including the Islamic State, Taliban and al-Qaeda take advantage of instability in the country, which has persisted since the 2001 US-led invasion.
The US withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan in December 2014 contributed to the revival of militant insurgency and growing weapon-smuggling operations.
Kerry is currently on his first Central Asia tour, taking place on October 28-November 3, and is due to visit Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The US diplomat is to conduct bilateral meetings with senior government leaders in each country.