The commander of the Central Command of the US Armed Forces, General Joseph Votel, called for jointly resisting security threats in Central and South Asia, Kun.uz correspondent reports.

“This is a very important meeting at a critical moment in the history of the region. Security challenges remain. It is better if we confront them together. For this reason, we have gathered here: to strengthen our relations and increase the opportunities, both individual and collective ones,” he said, speaking at a conference in Tashkent.

“The most important thing we want is independent and strong partners in Central and South Asia,” Votel stressed.

Today, in the capital of Uzbekistan, a regular conference of the chiefs of Central and South Asian countries’ general staff has started. The event is devoted to the discussion of regional security issues, stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan, the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and cybercrime.

The conference is attended by representatives from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and the US.