Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov met with Abdul Ghaffar Bahr, the Taliban-appointed ambassador to Tashkent, to discuss bilateral cooperation, according to a statement released by Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

The ministry said Uzbekistan supports Afghanistan’s development and emphasised the importance of the country’s integration into regional and global supply chains.

Abdul Ghaffar Bahr, a close associate of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, was appointed ambassador to Uzbekistan in September 2024.

While Uzbekistan has not formally recognised the Taliban government, it has accepted the group's envoy and maintains extensive diplomatic and economic relations with the Taliban administration.