The two-day conference, “Afghanistan: Security and Economic Development,” opened on July 25 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Its purpose is to rally international support for coordinated actions to help Afghanistan’s economy and humanitarian situation starting today, with some 100 delegations of governments and international organizations from Europe, Middle East, Asia and other regions scheduled to participate. According to a report by the Non-Aligned News Network, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry had announced that Uzbekistan will present ideas for energy, rail, and education projects for the country.
Afghanistan Times reported the conference’s purpose “is to create a set of actions and proposals for the approaches of the international community to promote stability, security and post-war reconstruction in Afghanistan and to integrate it into the process of regional cooperation in the interests of the people of Afghanistan and the world as a whole.” That should include “the implementation of infrastructure and humanitarian projects designed to bring the long-awaited peace for the current and future generations of the Afghan people.”
The Taliban government was invited to attend, not as official recognition, but because “it is the real power in this country,” and they will be reminded that they must fulfill the international obligations which they had accepted at an earlier Tashkent meeting, a top Uzbek Foreign Ministry official had said in mid-July. Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is in Tashkent now, leading the Afghan government’s delegation.
How different an intent from the policy of the EU ambassador to Afghanistan, one Andreas von Brandt (Germany), who told local media yesterday that yes, yes, “the world” wants to help Afghans with their increasing hunger crisis, but that does not mean working with the de facto government. For von Brandt, the bright spot is not providing food, but that Afghanistan is isolated. He shamelessly opined: “I think … if there are a few good things at the moment, it is that there is a tremendous consensus on the non-recognition in the entire western world and I actually don’t see that changing in the near future.”
