Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is heading the delegation on his two-day official tour to Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News- Nov 11th, 2021) An Afghan delegation led by Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is in Islamabad to discuss ways to facilitate transit trade, cross-border movement and support for the people of Afghanistan.
The Afghan Acting Foreign Minister will also participate in a meeting of the Troika Plus on Afghanistan today (Thursday).
The important meeting will be attended by Special Representatives from China, Russian Federation, the United States and Pakistan.
The Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will inaugurate the meeting which will discuss the situation in Afghanistan and the way forward.
The Foreign Office, in a statement, said Pakistan attaches high importance to the Troika Plus mechanism on the situation in Afghanistan.
It said Pakistan hopes that deliberations of the Troika Plus meeting would contribute to the ongoing efforts for achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, China has expressed full support to Pakistan's efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan and building world consensus for this purpose.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin, at a media briefing in Beijing, said China's Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs, Yue Xiaoyong, will lead a delegation to attend the Pakistan-hosted meeting on the Afghanistan situation today.
Many reasons are there to enhance engagement with Afghanistan: FM
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that the engagement with Afghanistan must not only continue but should be enhanced for multiple reasons.
Addressing a Troika Plus Meeting in Islamabad on Thursday (today), he said nobody wishes to see a relapse into civil war; no one wants an economic collapse that will spur instability; everyone wants terrorist elements operating inside Afghanistan to be tackled effectively and; we all want to prevent a new refugee crisis.
The Minister said all of us have common concerns related to Afghanistan and also have a shared interest in the country's peace and stability. And to bring that about, is a shared responsibility.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed confidence that Troika Plus's engagement with the new Afghan government will help consolidate peace and stability, promote sustainable economic development and help constrict space for terrorist outfits operating from and within Afghanistan.
He said today, Afghanistan stands at the brink of an economic collapse. It is, therefore, imperative for the international community to buttress provision of humanitarian assistance on an urgent basis. He said health, education and municipal services require urgent attention.
The Foreign Minister said being an immediate neighbor, Pakistan has a direct stake in Afghanistan's peace and stability.
He said located next door, we have borne the brunt of four decades of conflict and instability in the shape of refugees, drugs and terrorism.
He said that he reaffirmed his Prime Minister's resolve to help Afghanistan on its path towards peace, progress and prosperity.
