Uzbekistan hosted an international conference on Afghanistan on July 25-26 with Taliban representatives in attendance. Tashkent has led the way in Central Asia in engaging with the Taliban since they returned to power in August 2021, but not everyone agrees with the Uzbek government’s decision to host representatives of a group that many consider to be extremist. On this week’s Majlis podcast we look at the challenges and potential benefits for Uzbekistan, and more broadly Central Asia, in dealing with the Taliban.