TASHKENT, Jun 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Uzbekistan urged all parties involved in the conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan, to refrain from the use of force and prevent civilian casualties, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said yesterday.
“On Jun 23, 2021, 53 soldiers of the Afghan border troops and local militiamen with weapons, crossed into the territory of Uzbekistan, in the area of Shurtepa district of Afghanistan,” it said in a statement.
After carrying out necessary procedures of inquiry and investigative actions, these Afghan citizens were returned to their homeland, it said, adding that, “any attempts to illegally enter the Uzbek territory will be strictly suppressed, and the most stringent measures will be taken against violators of the state border.”
Uzbekistan is closely following the development of the situation in Afghanistan, including in the bordering northern Afghan provinces, the statement said, adding, the increase in violence in the neighbouring country is of utmost concern to Uzbekistan.
The Uzbek side, the statement said, firmly declares its commitment to maintaining traditionally friendly and good-neighbourly relations with Afghanistan, maintaining neutrality and non-interference in the internal affairs of the neighbouring country.
“Uzbekistan will continue to provide all-round economic and humanitarian support to the brotherly Afghan people,” it added, “including through the implementation of major energy, transport and communication projects in the country, the implementation of which will contribute to the establishment of a lasting and comprehensive peace in Afghanistan.”– NNN-AGENCIES
