Russia and six neighboring countries of Afghanistan have established a group to discuss ways to achieve long-term peace in the war-torn nation. During the inaugural meeting on Tuesday, diplomats called for the unfreezing of Afghan central bank assets. The Uzbek Foreign Ministry stated that special representatives from Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan met in Tashkent and intend to meet regularly to discuss issues facing Afghanistan. Uzbek special representative Ismatulla Irgashev mentioned that the group urged Western countries to lift the freeze on the Afghan central bank's assets.
He stated in a press briefing, "Representatives of these countries emphasized that the frozen central bank funds should primarily be used to pay the salaries of... school teachers and doctors, while also supporting a number of people in difficult situations." He added, "They also confirmed that nearly 25 million people in Afghanistan are starving and deprived of food."
The United States froze approximately seven billion dollars in assets owned by the Afghan central bank after the Taliban ousted the Afghan government in 2021, and two billion dollars were also frozen in European banks. Washington indicated that some funds would be allocated to a foundation benefiting Afghan citizens. Last month, the United Nations stated that six million people in Afghanistan are at risk of famine, and two-thirds of the population is suffering from severe hunger and is in urgent need of aid.