RASC News Agency: Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan, has issued a strong call to the international community to prevent Afghanistan from descending into isolation, warning that neglecting the country would have grave implications for regional stability. Emphasizing Afghanistan’s critical geopolitical and economic position, he urged world powers not to abandon the Afghanistani people to the consequences of extremist rule under the Taliban. Speaking at the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Tashkent, President Mirziyoyev underscored the urgent need for sustained international engagement with Afghanistan, not as an endorsement of the Taliban regime, but as a humanitarian and strategic necessity.
“Afghanistan is our direct neighbor, and we cannot afford to look away,” he said. “It is imperative to maintain open channels of communication not to legitimize authoritarian rule, but to ensure that the Afghanistani people are not completely cut off from the global community. Afghanistan is an inseparable part of Central Asia, rich in potential, and we must advocate for its reintegration into regional frameworks through constructive, yet principled, diplomacy.”
Mirziyoyev’s remarks come amid growing concern over the Taliban’s repressive governance, which has plunged Afghanistan into a state of profound social, economic, and human rights crisis. Since seizing power, the Taliban has dismantled women’s rights, crushed dissent, and presided over a humanitarian disaster affecting tens of millions. Critics argue that engaging the Taliban without demanding meaningful reforms only emboldens their authoritarian grip. During a bilateral meeting with Yousaf Raza Gillani, Chairman of Pakistan’s Senate, the Uzbek president discussed accelerating the long-delayed Termez–Peshawar railway project, which traverses Afghanistan’s territory. The initiative, seen as a potential corridor for economic revival, remains hampered by the instability and unpredictability of Taliban rule. The Uzbek Presidential Office confirmed that the talks focused on advancing trade, transport infrastructure, and investment opportunities while reinforcing the need for regional collaboration based on mutual respect and long-term stability.
The Termez–Mazar-i-Sharif–Kabul– Peshawar railway, initially agreed upon in February 2021 between Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, was envisioned as a transformative project to bridge South and Central Asia. However, with the Taliban now in control, questions about security, transparency, and inclusivity continue to threaten the project’s viability. Observers stress that while regional states must find ways to engage Afghanistan, they must do so without legitimizing or empowering a regime that systematically suppresses fundamental rights. President Mirziyoyev’s statements reflect a growing recognition among regional leaders that the Afghanistan’s crisis cannot be solved through isolation but neither can it be resolved through appeasement of those responsible for its deepening misery.
