“EurasiaNet” has reported in an analytical piece that, five years after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the country continues to occupy an important place in the security, economic, and transit calculations of Central Asia. Regional countries are seeking new ways to integrate Afghanistan into regional cooperation mechanisms.
According to the report, Afghanistan remained a subject of particular attention at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit meetings held in August and September 2026 in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
The report notes that since 2021, Uzbekistan has sought to move beyond viewing Afghanistan solely through a security lens and instead to position the country as a potential link between Central and South Asia.
“EurasiaNet” cites the launch of the so-called “Termez Dialogue” in 2025 as an example of this approach. At the second meeting of the dialogue, participants discussed political engagement, transit, logistics, climate change, and humanitarian cooperation.
Meanwhile, the Taliban have also made efforts this year to expand engagement with the countries of Central Asia. In April 2026, Kabul hosted the first “Consultative Dialogue between Afghanistan and Central Asia,” attended by representatives of all five Central Asian states.
In June, the “Forum of Research Centers on Afghanistan and Central Asia” was also held. The meeting aimed to put forward research-based and practical proposals for strengthening regional cooperation.
However, the report emphasizes that the Central Asian countries do not share a uniform approach toward Afghanistan. Uzbekistan places greater emphasis on trade, transit, and regional connectivity; Tajikistan highlights border security, inclusive governance, and security threats; Turkmenistan focuses more heavily on energy and transit projects; while Kazakhstan continues to pursue economic and diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan.
According to the outlet, rising tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, along with developments involving Iran, have further increased the importance of Kabul’s relations with the Central Asian states. Afghanistan is also seeking to expand its trade and transit options through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan in an effort to reduce its dependence on a limited number of routes.
The report also examines the role of the United States in Central Asia, noting that Washington continues to engage with the countries of the region, but that its focus is increasingly centered on the economy, energy, investment, critical minerals, and the C5+1 framework.
According to the report, U.S. Special Representative Sergio Gor met with the leaders of the Central Asian countries in Bishkek. At the same time, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met in Kabul with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister.
“EurasiaNet” writes that these meetings do not amount to the announcement of a new formal U.S. policy toward Afghanistan. However, they indicate that Washington’s engagement with Afghanistan has not ended completely and has continued in a different form since the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021.
The report concludes that Afghanistan has not been removed from the regional equation in Central Asia. Rather, the countries of the region are increasingly seeking to shape independent channels of cooperation with Afghanistan. In the outlet’s assessment, Afghanistan’s importance in regional calculations has not diminished; instead, the definition of the country’s regional role is increasingly being shaped by the Central Asian states themselves rather than by Washington.
Writer:Roya Stanikzai
