President of Uzbekistan called to prevent the SCO from getting involved in the military and political processes in Afghanistan

Almaty. April 27. Silkroadnews – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Islam Karimov held talks in Moscow, the press service of Russia’s presidential administration reported.

“Considering the complicated situation in Afghanistan and lessons of recent history, it is essential to prevent the SCO from getting involved in the military and political developments in that country. Such involvement might be regarded by Kabul, all of Afghanistan and far beyond it –practically by the entire world – as SCO member-states’ preparedness (we are both SCO states) to assume full responsibility for the settlement of the Afghan crisis,” Islam Karimov said following the Russian-Uzbek negotiations.

According to him, “It would be utterly wrong to shift the Afghan issue onto someone else and later discuss the successes and failures, retrospectively”.

“I believe that it is impossible to wish for a settlement of all problems in one fell swoop, considering the situation in Afghanistan,” he said.

He described the present situation in Afghanistan as “a sluggish confrontation between opposing sides, the continuation of which could create a serious threat of the instability spilling over to neighboring countries and regions”. And this danger, he said, should not be underestimated.

The president of Uzbekistan believes that attempts to address the Afghan issue without Russia are “ill-considered and absolutely rash”.

“To move forward in resolving the Afghan problem, it would be expedient to invite Russian representative for talks, bearing in mind the country’s vital interests. Russia’s capabilities in the region are very important. This is, of course, if Russia wants to participate. I am sure that a great deal depends on Russia’s participation, if we take not only a short-term but also a long-term view and look far ahead,” the Uzbek president concluded.