TEHRAN - In his speech at the second Regional Security Dialogue Conference on Afghanistan in Tehran on Wednesday, a top Uzbek security official lambasted certain countries for adopting a double-standard approach towards terrorism. 

Baber Shah Yaqobov, the deputy secretary of Uzbekistan’s national security council, said, “Certain countries have been adopting a double-standard approach towards terrorism which is condemned as a serious threat to the real campaign against terrorism.”

Noting that restoring peace in Afghanistan is an international demand, he said, “The countries that have participated in this conference enjoy common stances regarding regional security.”

He also said the conference has provided “a good opportunity to narrow down security challenges (in the region).”

Yaqobov said that stability in Afghanistan will reinvigorate security in Central Asia, the Middle East and Far East Asia. 

Senior security officials from Iran, Russia, China, India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan attended the conference which kicked off on Wednesday. 

The core of the talks was how to restore durable security in Afghanistan.

The national security officials also held bilateral talks on the margins of the conference. 

The first session of the Regional Security Dialogue was held last year in October.

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan which neighbor Afghanistan attended this year’s meeting.

MJ/PA