Central Asia–Japan Summit Puts Afghanistan at Core of Regional Cooperation

DID Press: First Central Asia–Japan leaders’ summit was held with a strong focus on peace, stability and development in Afghanistan, as participating countries agreed to continue regional cooperation aimed at improving the country’s economic and infrastructure conditions.

Speaking at the summit, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev described Afghanistan as one of the key pillars of joint cooperation, saying the participating states share a vision of a peaceful, stable, united and meaningfully developed Afghanistan. He praised Japan for its longstanding role as one of the most important supporters and donors to the Afghan people.

Mirziyoyev stressed that at a time of rising geopolitical tensions and declining trust among major powers, regional convergence is crucial to preserving peace and stability. He said coordinated efforts could help improve living standards in Afghanistan, advance socio-economic and infrastructure development, and enable the country’s active participation in regional economic projects.

The summit was chaired by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and attended by the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In addition to Afghanistan, leaders discussed expanding cooperation in green economy initiatives, sustainable development, regional connectivity and human capital development.

At the conclusion of the meeting, participants endorsed the Tokyo Declaration, a document outlining the future framework for cooperation between Central Asian countries and Japan, including engagement related to Afghanistan.