UN chief appoints former Kyrgyzstan president as Afghanistan envoy

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed a former president of Kyrgyzstan, Roza Otunbayeva, as his new special envoy for Afghanistan, Report informs via Reuters.

Roza Otunbayeva, who also served as foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan, replaces Deborah Lyons, who stepped down in mid-June, the United Nations said in a statement.

Afghanistan's humanitarian and economic situation has worsened since the hardline Islamist Taliban took over a year ago as U.S.-led forces withdrew after two decades of war.