Russia and six nations bordering Afghanistan have set up a club to discuss ways to achieve long-term peace in the war-torn nation. Special representatives from Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan convened in Tashkent and plan to meet regularly to discuss issues facing Afghanistan.
The group has urged Western nations to lift the freeze on the Afghan central bank’s assets. The United Nations last month said that about six million people in Afghanistan are at risk of famine and two thirds of the population are facing severe hunger and are in urgent need of aid.
