Afghan, Uzbek officials meet on ties

KABUL: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Acting Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban-led Afghan government, met Abdulaziz Kamilov, Uzbekistan national security council advisor and special representative of the President for foreign policy, an official statement said on Monday.

The meeting held on Sunday "focused on bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, Afghanistan's ties with the international community, the early launch of major economic projects, and cooperation between the two countries", Xinhua news agency quoted the statement saying.

The statement quoted Kamilov as saying that the Taliban-led caretaker government's rule in Afghanistan opened a new chapter in relations between the two neighbouring countries.

"It is gratifying to see that, through these relations, joint talks are being held on Afghanistan's economic reconstruction and strengthening its economic systems," Kamilov said.

He added that Uzbekistan will host an international conference on Afghanistan in July, to which a high-level representative of the Afghan caretaker government will also be invited.

At the end of the meeting, Baradar emphasized strengthening relations between the two countries and hoped for its further enrichment and development, according to the statement.