Samarkand (Uzbekistan): India and five Central Asian countries along with Afghanistan condemned Sunday terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and agreed to cooperate in countering the menace which poses a threat to people across the world.
This was part of a joint statement issued at the end of the first ever meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue which also saw the participation of Afghanistan at the ministerial level here.
Indian external affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj along with the foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan took part in the meeting.
“All sides condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and agreed to cooperate in countering terrorism which posed a threat to the people and economies of the world,” the statement said.
“The countries reaffirmed their willingness for cooperation, mutual support, joint solution on relevant issues in order to ensure security, stability and sustainable development,” the statement added.
The ministers welcomed the participation of Afghanistan in the India-Central Asia Dialogue as an important land link in the regional cooperation, transit of goods and energy and expressed support and commitment of Central Asian countries and India to peace, security and stability of Afghanistan.
The ministers noted the importance of sustainable economic growth in Afghanistan by attracting Afghan women to participate in the public life of the country and welcomed the successful holding of forums and conferences on this issue in the countries of Central Asia.
They also noted the results of the seventh Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA VII), held in Ashgabat in November 2017, and expressed willingness to cooperate in preparation for the RECCA VIII meet in Tashkent in the second half of 2019.
The participants welcomed the accession of India into the Ashgabat agreement on creating an international transport and transit corridor.
PTI