The US peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, in a tweet on Wednesday said that he had “good meetings” in Tashkent with Uzbek officials and others in the C5+1 and discussed the latest on the Afghan “peace process and the critical role Central Asia has played.”

"We discussed...the critical role Central Asia has played and will continue to play in pursuit of peace; how it will benefit from peace with increased regional connectivity, trade and development," said the envoy, adding: The US's Development Finance Corporation "is prepared to invest in the region's future."

The US appreciates the cooperation and assistance of the C5+1 (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan plus the United States), Khalilzad said, adding that “We will need to work together to promote and encourage a political settlement when intra-Afghan negotiations begin.”

C5+1 is a format for dialogue and a platform for joint efforts to address common challenges faced by the United States and the five Central Asian states.

In this episode, host Nemat Rawan discusses the topic with the following guests:

Mohammad Siddiq Patman, political analyst

Hekmatullah Hekmat, military affairs analyst

Sediq Mansour Ansari, head of civil society federation