An international conference on Afghanistan is set to convene in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, on March 26.
Representatives from more than 20 countries are expected to take part in the event in Uzbekistan, including from the United States, the European Union, Pakistan, Iran, China, Russia, and the five Central Asian nations.
The conference will discuss the Afghan peace process, as well as counterterrorism, counternarcotics, and regional cooperation.
The Tashkent conference comes on the heels of the so-called Kabul Process event held in the Afghan capital on February 28 in which Afghan President Ashraf Ghani proposed peace talks with the Taliban, without preconditions.
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon will attend the Tashkent conference on Afghanistan on March 26 and is also scheduled to meet with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov during his three-day trip.
The State Department has said the Tashkent conference "will build on progress made at the February 28 Kabul Process Conference in a continued demonstration of international support for a peaceful political settlement in Afghanistan."