Following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the Central Asian states carefully recalibrated their approaches toward Afghanistan. While cooperation initially remained largely confined to bilateral economic and security issues, it has now entered a new stage of development.
In August 2025, Tashkent hosted a meeting of the Central Asian states’ special representatives on Afghanistan. This year, on April 5, the first Afghanistan-Central Asia Consultative Dialogue was held in Kabul. This initiative emerged as a new regional format aimed at institutionalizing interaction between Afghanistan and the Central Asian states. The platform effectively creates a new political and diplomatic space that brings Afghanistan and the countries of Central Asia together within a framework of regular dialogue, similar to the traditional “C5+1” mechanisms.
More recently, the second Termez Dialogue, held in Tashkent on June 4-6, 2026, further underscored Afghanistan’s role as an integral component of the broader Central Asian regional landscape. In addition, the Afghanistan-Central Asia Think Tank Forum, held in Kabul on June 16, further demonstrated growing efforts to institutionalize Afghanistan’s engagement with Central Asia and strengthen regional cooperation.
