Uzbekistan drives Central Asian engagement with Afghanistan via Termez Dialogue

October 2, 2026 at 07:30 PM2 min

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Uzbekistan hosted a joint Uzbek-Afghan textile fair in Termez on September 15-17, 2026, drawing officials and entrepreneurs from both countries. The event follows the second Termez Dialogue meeting in June 2026, which advanced practical mechanisms for political dialogue, connectivity, transport, logistics, climate adaptation, and cultural cooperation. The SCO summit in Bishkek on August 31-September 1 underscored Afghanistan's shifting regional role even as U.S. engagement remains limited.

Key Facts

The second Termez Dialogue meeting in June 2026 advanced practical mechanisms for political dialogue, connectivity, transport and logistics, climate adaptation, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation.
Uzbekistan convened the first meeting of Central Asian special representatives on Afghanistan in August 2025, which agreed to establish a regular Contact Group for coordinated regional dialogue.
The SCO summit in Bishkek on August 31-September 1, 2026, brought together leaders from China, Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.
Afghanistan shares approximately 2,329 kilometers of common land and water borders with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.

Termez Dialogue Institutionalization

The Termez Dialogue, launched in May 2025 as a permanent platform, is the clearest example of Uzbekistan's approach to Afghanistan as a potential connecting link between Central and South Asia. Its second meeting in June 2026 moved toward practical mechanisms for political dialogue, connectivity, transport and logistics, climate adaptation, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation. Rather than treating Afghanistan solely as a security perimeter, Tashkent is attempting to embed the Afghan question within a broader architecture of regional connectivity. This institutionalization also began to acquire a specifically Central Asian format in August 2025, when Uzbekistan convened the first meeting of Central Asian special representatives on Afghanistan. That meeting agreed to establish a regular Contact Group for coordinated regional dialogue on the Afghan issue.

Regional Engagement Mechanisms

Uzbek and Afghan officials and entrepreneurs visited the Airitom Free Zone in Termez during a joint Uzbek-Afghan textile fair held on September 15-17, 2026. Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states are developing various mechanisms for engagement with Afghanistan in multiple areas of mutual interest. The SCO summit in Bishkek on August 31-September 1, 2026, offered a revealing snapshot of Afghanistan's changing role in the region. The massive SCO gathering brought together the leaders of China, Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. Its expanded SCO Plus meeting added Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Laos, Mongolia, Türkiye, Togo and Vietnam, alongside the UN and other organizations.