It is no longer viable to delay the beginning of the intra-Afghan political process. It will cost the lives of many more innocent people, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said today at the conference on Afghanistan "Peace Process, Security Cooperation and Regional Collaboration".
"It is necessary to ensure the launching of a direct dialogue, without preconditions, between the central government and the main forces of the armed opposition, especially the Taliban," he said. "The questions the parties have to each other can become the subject of the upcoming negotiations."
To ensure the success of the peace process, it is important to hand over the initiative and choice of the format, time and place of holding peace talks to the Afghans themselves, he stressed.
"First of all, we are talking about the refusal to conduct military operations and unconditional observance of the ceasefire both by the armed opposition and by the Afghan national security forces," he added.
"Sharing the common responsibility for Afghanistan's peaceful future and relying on the traditionally friendly relations between the Uzbek and Afghan peoples, we are ready to create, at any stage of the peace process, all the necessary conditions for organizing direct talks in the territory of Uzbekistan between the Afghan government and the Taliban, said the President of Uzbekistan.
If the opposition participates in peace negotiations and national reconciliation is achieved, all conditions should be created for its integration into the political life of Afghanistan, he continued.
"Representatives of the armed opposition, including the Taliban, being part of the Afghan society and citizens of Afghanistan, have the right to vote in determining the future of their country," the head of state said.
While, he said it was extremely important to launch inter-Afghan dialogue before holding the parliamentary and presidential elections in the country. According to Shavkat Mirziyoyev, this "will provide broad opportunities for all layers of society, including opposition forces, for their full participation in the construction of new Afghanistan."
The President of Uzbekistan expressed his confidence that constructive dialogue and discussions, as well as the final Tashkent declaration will achieve practical positive results and become a sort of road map for the peace process in Afghanistan.
"The future of Afghanistan should not be an example of the incapacity of the international community to oppose common challenges and threats . Today, more than ever, it is important for all of us, united, to extend the hand of peace, cooperation and support to the long-suffering people of Afghanistan," Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed.
