United Muslims of Kazakhstan invite Talibs to Astana

United Muslims of Kazakhstan and Muslim Committee on Human Rights in Central Asia suggest to invite Taliban leaders to Astana for peaceful negotiations, Tengrinews.kz reports citing the organization’s press-service. The organization distributed a press-release saying that the decision to send military troops to Afghanistan does not meet national interests of Kazakhstan. "Talibs currently represent a real political force in Afghanistan and is supported by a major part of the population. Like it or not, but they have to be taken into account. Whatever ideological disagreements are between us, it is necessary to strive for a dialog and find points of contact,” the document writes. As per the press-release, Kazakhstan Muslims believe that these initiatives would allow Kazakhstan to attain international reputation of a progressive state able to conduct independent foreign policy. “Kazakhstan does not have to blindly go in the wake of someone else's foreign policies,” said the head of United Muslims of Kazakhstan Murat Telibekov. United Muslims of Kazakhstan and Muslim Committee on Human Rights in Central Asia suggest to call a peaceful conference in Astana to discuss Afghanistan issues with all the involved parties. “Considering that Kazakhstan is currently presiding in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the forum shall be held in the framework of this Organization,” the press-release writes. Earlier Tengrinews.kz English reported that Afghan talibs warned Kazakhstan that its decision to deploy troops to support NATO in Afghanistan will have grave consequences. Later official representative of Foreign Affairs Ministry Askar Abdrakhmanov said that only four Kazakhstan officers will go to Afghanistan. Two of them are military analytics, one epidemiologist and one combat service support expert.