The US-led coalition to combat the terrorist group "Islamic State" plans to expand cooperation with the states of Central Asia. This is stated in a joint communiqué, which was adopted following the ministerial meeting of the coalition, which was held with the participation of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in the capital of Saudi Arabia, TASS reports.
“The ministers welcomed the participation of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as observers [at the current meeting] in Riyadh and stressed the need to increase the interaction of the coalition members with Central Asia in order to strengthen the counter-terrorism capabilities of the parties,” the document says. Details are not given.
The coalition is working "with partners in Central Asia" to help them "detect and stop terrorists and prevent the spread of ISIS from Afghanistan," US Deputy Special Envoy for Counter-ISIS Ian McCarey said earlier.
Strengthening cooperation with the region will be a key focus for the coalition in the coming years, the American diplomat stressed at the time.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 9, 2023