Experts from the UK's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a leading defense and security think-tank, were in Turkmenistan for three days, the British Embassy said on 15 March.
Raffaello Pantucci and Alessandro Arduino "exchanged views on regional security issues, particularly on Afghanistan," when meeting at the Turkmen Foreign Ministry and with heads of diplomatic missions.
Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry said that during their meeting with RUSI representatives, they discussed how to counter threats and challenges of the modern world, including ways to resolve the Afghan issue peacefully.
Tajikistan has the longest border with Afghanistan in Central Asia (about 1,300 km), followed by Turkmenistan (over 800 km) and Uzbekistan (144 km).
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are interested in Afghanistan's participation in major regional economic projects, many of which have been delayed. This was caused by a change in the political climate on the other side of the border.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which formally existed from 1996 to 2001, has again appeared on the political map of the world in 2021 - but so far none of the states has recognized their government.
The new masters in Kabul, mostly Pashtun warlords, promised the world an inclusive government with other ethnic groups, including Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Turkmens. They were also to provide a firm barrier against drug trafficking and extremist threats.
Central Asian secular states are wary of armed groups from Afghanistan, particularly the militants of the regional branch of the ISKP (Islamic State - Khorasan Province). The group seeks to expand into Central Asia to revive the Muslim caliphate that existed in the region in the seventh century.
Credits: Eziz Boyarov, Ashgabat
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