APSM II Regional Dialogues on the Future of Afghanistan 2021-2022 APSM II Regional Dialogues on the Future of Afghanistan 2021-2022 The aim of the project is to generate consensus among regional stakeholders on how Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbours can use their influence in support of the Afghan peace negotiations to achieve a just and enduring end to the 40-year-old Afghan conflict. The key activity involves a series of dialogues between influential actors from the countries to discuss the security concerns of the countries during the ongoing Afghan peace process and following the conclusion of intra-Afghan negotiations, to clarify the security guarantees and mechanisms of cooperation the countries see as necessary under both scenarios, and to exchange insights and ideas on issues and questions of longer-term significance with a focus on how Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan can work together to realise closer economic cooperation at the bilateral and regional levels.

The project will be financed as part of the EU Afghanistan Peace Support Mechanism II (EU APSM II) which is a mechanism co-funded by EU and Sida aimed at supporting an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan. Projektet har för avsikt att generera konsensus mellan regionala intressenter om hur Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, och Kyrgyzstan kan använda sitt inflytande för att stötta de intra-afghanska fredsförhandlingarna att nå ett slut på den 40-åriga konflikten. Nyckelaktiviteter inkluderar en serie av dialoger mellan inflytelserika aktörer från Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan och Afghanistan för att diskutera säkerhetsgarantier och mekanismer för samarbete under den afghanska fredsprocessen, och hur länderna kan arbeta för ett närmre ekonomiskt samarbete på bilaterala och regionala nivåer.

Projektet finansieras genom EU Afghanistan Peace Support Mechansim II (EU APSM II) som är en EU- och Sida-finansierad mekanism med avsikt att stödja en inkluderande fredsprocess i Afghanistan. The overall objective of project is to generate consensus among regional stakeholders on how Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbors may use their influence in support of the Afghan peace negotiations to achieve a just and enduring end to the 40-year-old Afghan conflict.
The two specific objectives are:
1) To discuss the security concerns of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan during the ongoing Afghan peace process and following the conclusion of infra-Afghan negotiations and to clarify the security guarantees and mechanisms of cooperation the countries see as necessary under both scenarios in the areas of counter-terrorism, fight against organized crime, and countering violent extremism (CVE); and
2) To exchange insights and ideas on issues and questions of longer-term significance with a focus on how Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan can work together to realize closer economic cooperation at the bilateral and regional levels, including the vision of regional economic integration between Central Asia and South Asia via Afghanistan.
The expected outcomes are:
Established Track 2 and 1.5 platform for dialogue between Afghanistan and Central Asian countries;
Improved Central Asian countries’ engagement in the Afghan peace process;
Increased policy and public awareness about the peace process and broader regional challenges and opportunities;
Increased regional cooperation and common efforts for regional consensus on peace and stability in Afghanistan.