OREANDA-NEWS. Uzbekistan promised Germany to help in the evacuation of Germans and those in need of protection from Afghanistan, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in Tashkent on Monday, August 30. He noted that the government in Berlin is only interested in the transit of evacuees from Afghanistan to Germany through Uzbekistan.

There were no other requests to Tashkent for assistance, Maas stressed against the background of the debate on the expediency of placing Afghan refugees on the territory of neighboring states with Afghanistan. Currently, Uzbekistan almost does not allow refugees from Afghanistan to pass through the joint border.

The head of the German Foreign Ministry called the evacuation of people from Afghanistan by land a very difficult task after the evacuation by air was stopped. He explained that, on the one hand, security guarantees from the Taliban are necessary, and on the other hand, it is impossible to name the location of the collection points for evacuees, as it was in Kabul, since tens of thousands of people who are not among those subject to evacuation will flock there.

According to Heiko Maas, the neighboring states of Afghanistan want to hold a meeting to coordinate policy towards this country. Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Uzbekistan are expected to participate in the conference on Afghanistan.

Maas also stressed the importance of Russia and China's participation in such a meeting. He recalled the upcoming negotiations in the UN Security Council on agreeing on a resolution on Afghanistan. These talks will show whether Moscow and Beijing are ready for cooperation, the German Foreign Minister said.