AKIPRESS.COM - Uzbekistan calls for a direct dialogue between Afghanistan authorities and the armed opposition, in particular, the Taliban, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said today while opening the Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan.

Those issues addressed by the sides to each other might require a negotiation process.

"It's obvious that the delay of the start of the inter-Afghan political process is already impossible. The delay will cost lives of a lot of innocent people," the President said.

According to the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan, the Tashkent summit brings together Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries, representatives of a number of international organizations and countries.