Pakistan Foreign Minister visits China to discuss Afghanistan
Islamabad, Mar 29 (EFE).- The foreign minister of Pakistan traveled to China Tuesday to discuss the situation in neighboring Afghanistan, where the economic and humanitarian crisis has aggravated since the Taliban seized power last year.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s visit to China, which will conclude on Mar.31, comes on the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, to participate in the third meeting of foreign ministers from countries neighboring Afghanistan, the Pakistani government said in a statement Tuesday.
Pakistan had hosted the first such meeting in September 2021, when the countries closest to Afghanistan came together to discuss the consequences on the region of the Islamist’s arrival to power on Aug.15.
“Pakistan fully supports a regional approach on Afghanistan for promoting durable peace and stability in the region,” the statement said.
Qureshi is also scheduled attend two other meetings on the Afghan issue – one with the Extended Troika that includes China, Russia and the United States, and another with the foreign ministers of China and Afghanistan.
“Extended Troika is a platform which has played an important role for consensus building,” Qureshi said in a video message before leaving for China.
Qureshi also revealed that during his trip he will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, where the situation in Ukraine will be discussed.
He underlined that the members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, during their latest meeting in Islamabad last week that was attended by the Chinese foreign minister as a guest, had urged Pakistan to play an important role in stopping the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
In this regard, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was the first leader to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin after the attack on Ukraine.
Qureshi’s trip to China also serves to demonstrate the high level of understanding in the bilateral relations between Pakistan and China.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) between the two so-called “Iron Brothers” has been instrumental in the boosting of bilateral cooperation.
The CPEC is a $60 billion-project by which China aims to take part in the development of infrastructure, rail, and energy sectors in Pakistan. EFE
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