Special representatives from four Central Asian countries met in Kazakhstan’s capital for an extraordinary session on Afghanistan under the Regional Contact Group, focusing on security concerns, regional cooperation and trade.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that envoys from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan attended the meeting, which was held at the ministry in Astana. The participants discussed the security situation in Afghanistan and explored ways to strengthen practical cooperation, including expanding trade and economic ties and developing transit and transport corridors through Afghanistan’s territory.
The countries also reviewed broader issues of regional security and emphasized the importance of continued coordination to promote stability and sustainable development in Afghanistan.
The special representative of Kazakhstan’s president for Afghanistan underscored the need for constructive dialogue among regional states, saying Astana supported the exchange of practical views and the search for concrete solutions to urgent issues related to engagement with the Taliban.
The participants agreed to continue regular consultations and maintain working-level contacts within the framework of what has been described as a regional contact group.
The meeting follows an earlier gathering of Central Asian special representatives in Sept. 2025 in Tashkent, where officials agreed to establish the contact group as a mechanism to coordinate regional positions on Afghanistan.
Taliban representatives were not invited to the session.
Analysts say that as concerns persist over Afghanistan’s security and economic conditions — and their direct impact on Central Asia — neighboring countries are seeking to manage potential risks through structured coordination, even in the absence of direct Taliban participation.
The Regional Contact Group on Afghanistan — formed by special representatives of Central Asian countries — is an independent mechanism created to coordinate positions and cooperation related to Afghanistan among Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
It was first launched at a meeting in Tashkent in August 2025, where the four nations agreed to establish a regular platform for dialogue on shared concerns, including security, economic ties, trade, transport links and engagement strategies with the Taliban.
Officials have described the Contact Group as a way for regional neighbors to pursue a coordinated, self-reliant approach to Afghanistan’s ongoing challenges such as security threats, cross-border crime, extremism, narcotics trafficking and economic instability, without depending solely on external actors.
