UN Chief says connectivity in Asia region key to peace in Afghanistan amid violence

According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Central and South Asian countries can fully benefit from potential prospects if peace prevails in the region. Guterres added that connectivity can balance out the threat of further deterioration in war-torn Afghanistan.

Guterres delivered a video message at the high-level International Conference on Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity stating that trade, economic growth, and long-term development all rely on connectivity. However, connectivity is more than just a matter of economics. It promotes regional cooperation and pleasant connections between close and far neighbors, he said on Friday in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital.

Increased environmental sustainability and rule-of-law-based connection can help Central and South Asia achieve long-term peace, stability, and prosperity. 'The importance of this has never been greater', according to him. 

As a result, the significance of active and collective action in support of Afghanistan's peace and security is emphasized even more. Guterres urged countries to work together to ensure that everyone understands the potential fruits of peace so that the promise of connectedness becomes a counterbalance to the threat of further deterioration in Afghanistan. He emphasized that the conference is a significant step in that direction and that the UN stands ready to assist you in your efforts to improve regional interconnection for the benefit of all.

US troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan

His remarks come as fighting between Afghan government forces and the Taliban has escalated since US soldiers began to leave the country, ending a nearly two-decade military presence in the war-torn country. After the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, the Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamist organization, was driven from power by US-led forces in 2001. The Taliban recently claimed that its fighters have retaken 85 percent of Afghanistan's land, a statement that the Kabul administration disputes.