KABUL (SW) – Thomas West, the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan, has continued his consultations with officials from various countries regarding Afghanistan.
Thomas West met with Abdulaziz Kamilov, Deputy Secretary of Uzbekistan’s National Security Council, and Ismatulla Irgashev, the country’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. The discussions focused on the shared interests of the two countries and issues concerning Afghanistan.
Thomas West shared on his official X account, “Pleased to host Deputy National Security Advisor Kamilov and Special Representative for Afghanistan Irgashev in Washington to discuss our many shared interests and the way forward in Afghanistan.”
While some international relations experts describe Uzbekistan’s relationship with the Islamic Emirate as good, they do not see Uzbekistan as a country significantly influencing the policies of the Islamic Emirate.
They suggest these meetings might be more about fostering regional coordination concerning Afghanistan.
Ajmal Zurmati, an expert in international relations, said, “Uzbekistan’s role might be more about lobbying to resolve the existing issues between the Islamic Emirate and the U.S., focusing on regional stability and emphasizing regional diplomacy around Afghanistan.”
However, other experts express concerns about these meetings and discussions on Afghanistan. They point to the East-West competition over Afghanistan, suggesting these talks might be driven by these geopolitical rivalries.
Islamuddin Maarej, a political analyst, commented, “Afghanistan’s national interests have always been sacrificed for the proxy interests of the East and West. The efforts of European and American representatives parallel to Putin’s with the Uzbek President have led to meetings like the Moscow Format in Tehran and the Shanghai meeting. It appears that both East and West are pursuing their interests concerning Afghanistan.”
Uzbekistan’s foreign policy is largely aligned with Russia, a rival of the United States. Like Russia, Uzbekistan currently maintains relatively good relations with the Islamic Emirate.
