China will continue to make active efforts to facilitate reconciliation and ease tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Lin Jian said on Monday.
China reaffirms role in easing Pak-Afghan tensions
BEIJING, Mar 16 (APP): China will continue to make active efforts to facilitate reconciliation and ease tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Lin Jian said on Monday.
“Afghanistan and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbors. Issues between the two countries can only be resolved through dialogue and consultation. The pressing priority is to prevent the escalation of the conflict and return to the negotiating table at an early date,” he said during his regular briefing held here.
The spokesperson said that China has been mediating between the two sides via its own channels. Over the past few days, Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke on the phone respectively with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi.
The Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China has been shuttling between Afghanistan and Pakistan to mediate, he added.
He said that Chinese embassies in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been in close communication with the two sides. Both countries have expressed appreciation for China’s active mediation efforts.
Lin Jian said that China hopes that both sides will remain calm and exercise restraint, engage face to face as soon as possible, achieve a ceasefire at the earliest opportunity, and resolve differences and disputes through dialogue.
