Pakistan, Afghanistan express willingness to strengthen ties

ISLAMABAD, June 25 (APP): Afghanistan and Pakistan have
expressed their willingness to improve relations with each
other, strengthen political mutual trust, enhance cooperation
in various fields including counterterrorism and jointly meet
security challenges.
In a joint press release on Sunday, China, Afghanistan
and Pakistan expressed their commitment to maintaining regional
peace and stability, enhancing regional connectivity and economic cooperation and promoting shared security and development.
The Chinese side hoped Afghanistan and Pakistan could
maintain stable and sound relations, and was willing to
provide necessary assistance in this regard based on the needs
of both sides.
According to press release, Afghanistan and Pakistan
agreed to establish a crisis management mechanism, which would
include prevention through timely and effective intelligence
and information sharing and other mutually agreed measures.
This would enable the two sides to maintain timely and
effective communications in case of any emergencies, including
terrorist attacks, with a view to seeking proper solution
through dialogue and consultation and preventing deterioration
of the situation which might have negative effect on the
bilateral relationship. The Chinese side would support this
mechanism.
The three parties agreed to establish the China-
Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ dialogue mechanism to
cooperate on issues of mutual interest, beginning with
economic cooperation.
The three parties believed that peace and reconciliation
was the fundamental solution to the Afghan issue, which could
not be solved by violent means.
The Chinese and the Pakistani sides supported the
“Afghan-led and Afghan-owned” reconciliation process, and
stood ready to continue to play a constructive role in
advancing this process.
The three parties called on the Afghan Taliban to join
the reconciliation process at an early date.
The three parties believed that the Quadrilateral
Coordination Group should be revived to create an enabling
environment for peace talks and for Taliban to join the peace
talks.
They supported Kabul process and held the view that the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization-Afghanistan Contact Group
should be revived as early as possible to play a constructive
role in moving forward the Afghan reconciliation process.
At the invitation of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Chinese
foreign minister Wang Yi visited Afghanistan and Pakistan on
June 24-25.
During this visit, the three parties condemned the
recent terrorist attacks occurred in both Afghanistan and
Pakistan, and extended condolences to the deceased and
sympathy to the affected people, the Foreign Office said
in a press release.
The three parties had indepth exchange of views on
the Afghan issue, the relationship between Afghanistan
and Pakistan and China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral
cooperation.