KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) – The US State Department Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz Kamilov have discussed the Afghan peace process.
In a series of tweets, Khalilzad said on Friday that they discussed the immediate importance of reducing violence and the region’s role in the Afghan peace process. “We also discussed the region’s role in helping the Afghan peace process and recommitted to the importance of regional economic connectivity, trade and development facilitated by peace in Afghanistan, benefiting Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan”, he tweeted.
Khalilzad added the two leaders look forward to soon announcing a regional investment fund and a high-level meeting of representatives from the United States, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to discuss, connectivity, trade and development initiatives
Negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban have not been able to make any progress since the start of direct talks on Sep. 12. Sources in Doha told the media on Thursday that the two sides’ negotiating delegations had agreed on a negotiating framework.
A member of the Taliban negotiating team said that general issues had been agreed upon and specific issues had not yet been discussed. He did not elaborate on the details of the deal.
This coincided the visit by Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan to Kabul on Friday. Addressing joint press conference with President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Pakistani Prime Minister said that he had come to Kabul to assure that his government would help establish peace and a ceasefire in Afghanistan.
In part of his speech, the Pakistani Prime Minister said that half of the population on both sides of the Durand Line had been affected by the terrorism. Khan stated that the purpose of his visit to Kabul was to build trust and strengthen bilateral relations.
He said the Afghan people have been victims of four decades of war and the government and people of Pakistan understand the concerns of the Afghan people.
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani also said that an increase in violence in Afghanistan was unacceptable.
ENDS
