US delegation at Tashkent conference discussed evolving security situation in Afghanistan: White House

Washington DC [US], July 18 (ANI): A high-level US delegation led by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the international conference in Uzbekistan and discussed the evolving security situation in Afghanistan and the US support for the Afghan defense forces, the White House informed on Saturday.

Sherwood-Randall led a US delegation with representatives from the White House National Security Council, Department of Defense, and Department of State to a high-level international conference in Tashkent to promote security, prosperity, and regional connectivity between Central and South Asia and to strengthen cooperation with the United States, the White House said in a statement.

She participated in a roundtable meeting of the C5+1 diplomatic platform for Central Asia, where member countries had the opportunity to discuss the significant challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and instability in Afghanistan, the White House said.

Dr. Sherwood-Randall also met with Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and also held bilateral meetings with officials from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan to identify concrete opportunities to enhance security in the region. “She was joined by US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Daniel Rosenblum,” the statement said.

The US delegation also met with the Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to discuss regional security for Afghanistan and counterterrorism cooperation, the statement added. (ANI)