A unified front and stronger relations are necessary to fight terrorism and bring sustainable peace to the region, analysts on both sides of the border say.
By skipping a Tashkent summit on Afghanistan, the Taliban might have hurt their own cause, observers and participants say.
Despite repeated calls to participate in the Afghan-led peace process, the Taliban refused to attend the international conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The conference demonstrates international support for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, stakeholders say. The Taliban failed to participate.
The Taliban has not yet confirmed whether they will attend a high-level conference in the Uzbekistani capital next week.
An intensifying air and ground campaign is 'only going to get worse' for the Taliban, said US Gen. John Nicholson.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's offer to the Taliban was 'a dignified process for reaching a political framework', a US diplomat said.
The Afghan government outlined its offer for peace --- which comes without any preconditions -- at the second round of the Kabul Process peace conference
Uzbekistan is demonstrating its readiness to support the Afghan government's effort to build a peaceful future, officials and specialists say.
The talks, which came at the end of a three-day visit by UN Security Council representatives, focused on political, socio-economic, human rights and security issues in Afghanistan.