BEIJING (SW): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday expressed support for "an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned’ peace and reconstruction process.
During the first China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue in Beijing, the Chinese foreign minister also highlighted potential areas for practical cooperation with both Afghanistan and Pakistan, noting that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative will bring more opportunities for both countries, the state-owned CGTN reported.
Wang proposed establishing the trilateral dialogue mechanism in June this year, when he visited Afghanistan and Pakistan to carry out "shuttle diplomacy." The Chinese foreign minister said the mechanism will serve as a platform for enhancing dialogue and cooperation among the three countries.
According to the joint statement, the three sides reaffirmed their commitment to improving their relations, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, advancing connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative, and fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations without any distinction. The three Foreign Ministers agreed to jointly work together on political mutual trust and reconciliation, development cooperation and connectivity, security cooperation and counter-terrorism as three topics of the trilateral cooperation.
The three sides reaffirmed that a broad-based and inclusive peace and reconciliation process, which is “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned”, and fully supported regionally and internationally, is the most viable solution to end the violence in Afghanistan. In this regard, they call on the Afghan Taliban to join the peace process at an early date.
The Afghan and Pakistani sides thanked the Chinese side for the successful holding of the 1st China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue and its warm hospitality, and the three sides agreed that the 2nd China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue will be held in Kabul in 2018.
Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani thanked China for its efforts to promote cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and help improve security in the region. He said that while the terror threat remains, his country has pledged a zero-tolerance approach. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said securing a stable and prosperous future for Pakistan and Afghanistan is vital. .
ENDS
