Representatives of Afghanistan, the United States, Uzbekistan and Pakistan agreed in principle to establish a new quadrilateral diplomatic platform focused on enhancing regional connectivity.

Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar as well as his Uzbek and Pakistani counterparts Abdulaziz Kamilov and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, as well as, US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met on the sidelines of  “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity, Challenges and Opportunities” in Tashkent.

The parties consider long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan critical to regional connectivity and agree that peace and regional connectivity and mutually reinforcing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday.

Recognizing the historic opportunity to open flourishing international trade routes, the parties intend to cooperate to expand trade, build transit links and strengthen business-to-business ties, the statement said.

The parties agreed to meet in the coming months to determine the modalities of this cooperation with mutual consensus, the statement added.