DUSHANBE, September 28, 2015, Asia-Plus -- US Secretary of State John Kerry meets with the five Central Asian Foreign Ministers: Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Erlan Idrisov, Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldayev, Tajikistan Foreign Minister Sirodjiddin Aslov, Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, at the Palace Hotel, in New York City on September 26.

Russia’s news agency RIA Novosti reports that State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the US initiated a new format for regional discussions.

According to the spokesman, the group “reviewed the security situation in Afghanistan and its impact on stability in Central Asia.”

“The Secretary and the foreign ministers agreed to consider further discussions in the C5+1 format in the near future, to supplement existing bilateral dialogues,” the statement added.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 70th UN General Assembly in New York.