The foreign minister of Afghanistan met with his regional counterparts on Sunday in Paris to discuss closer cooperation in terms of narcotics trafficking, counterterrorism measures, and how to stabilize the country. The conference was brought together by France's Foreign Minister Bernard Koucher who asserted:
"There is a consensus that there can be no peace, security and prosperity in Afghanistan without the strong involvement of its neighbors. And there can be no peace, security and prosperity for the region without a stable Afghanistan."
Representatives from Pakistan, India, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, EU, and the US met behind closed doors to discuss what can be done to further Afghanistan's progress. On the table was a debate about new possible routes for supplies into the country, since the Taliban have become aggressive in targeting resources in Pakistan before they can be successfully delivered. Central Asian states and Russian territory, which have been discussed and used to a small degree in the past, were specifically mentioned as being possibilities as alternative routes.
