Afghanistan should be recognized as a full participant in shaping Central Asia’s future rather than being viewed as a peripheral state, Javlon Vakhabov, Director of the International Institute for Central Asia (IICA), said during the first Central Asia–Afghanistan Think Tank Forum held in Kabul.

The forum organized by the Center for Strategic Studies of Afghanistan, brought together heads of leading think tanks, policymakers, researchers, and business representatives from Central Asian countries, Azerbaijan, and Afghanistan to discuss regional cooperation and integration.

Vakhabov stressed that Afghanistan’s stability and economic recovery are closely linked to the future of Central Asia, arguing that the country should become a “co-author” of regional integration rather than remain on the sidelines.

He said major infrastructure initiatives—including the Trans-Afghan Transport Corridor, the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline, the TAP power transmission project, and the CASA-1000 electricity project—could transform Afghanistan from a transit route into an active participant in regional production, industry, and economic development.

On water and climate cooperation, Vakhabov underscored the need to establish legal and institutional frameworks that include Afghanistan. He also called for continued dialogue on the Qosh Tepa Canal, regular technical consultations, data sharing, joint monitoring, glacier research, and the development of regional early warning systems.

Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior Affairs, held talks with Mirdif Al-Qashouti, Qatar’s ambassador to Kabul, on expanding bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Qatar, regional developments, and strengthening Afghanistan’s engagement with the international community.

According to the Afghan Ministry of Interior, Haqqani praised Qatar’s constructive role in supporting Afghanistan’s engagement with the international community and thanked Doha for its continued cooperation.

The two sides also discussed security cooperation and joint efforts to combat drug trafficking.

Chinese workers have resumed construction on a key highway project in Tajikistan near the border with Afghanistan after a months-long suspension prompted by security concerns, according to Eurasianet.

Officials from Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport confirmed that work has restarted on a 109-kilometre section of the Dushanbe–Kulma highway.

Construction reportedly resumed in April after authorities assured Beijing that additional security measures would be put in place to protect Chinese personnel involved in the project.

The project had been paused in late 2025 after China advised its citizens to withdraw from border regions following a series of violent incidents.

The advisory followed an attack in November on a road construction crew that left two people dead and two others injured. In a separate incident later that year, three Chinese nationals were also killed.

Tajik authorities initially attributed both attacks to militant groups, though those claims have not been independently verified.

According to the report, Chinese workers currently on site are being protected by Tajik special forces. Tajikistan’s Defence Ministry has also indicated that joint military exercises between Tajik and Chinese forces are expected to take place in September.

The renewed construction and security cooperation come after the signing of a Treaty of Friendship between Tajikistan and China in May, which paved the way for agreements worth around $8 billion involving Chinese entities.