Amid violence escalating in Afghanistan due to the pull out of troops by the United States, a new quadrilateral grouping is on the cards with the US, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan agreeing in principle to establish a new diplomatic platform.
According to the Biden administration, the new grouping will focus on enhancing regional connectivity with a key focus on Afghanistan. “The parties consider long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan critical to regional connectivity and agree that peace and regional connectivity are mutually reinforcing,” the US State Department said on Friday.
Recognising the historic opportunity to open flourishing interregional trade routes, the parties intend to cooperate to expand trade, build transit links, and strengthen business-to-business ties, it added.
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“The parties agreed to meet in the coming months to determine the modalities of this cooperation with mutual consensus,” said the State Department.
(With PTI inputs)
