ISLAMABAD, Sep 9 (APP):Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi Thursday said Pakistan and Qatar would continue to play their facilitative role for peace and stability in Afghanistan.Speaking at a press conference here along with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, he said he and the Qatari minister discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan.
Reminding of the facilitative role played by Qatar during peace talks on Afghanistan, he said Pakistan and Qatar had a shared vision and objective to achieve peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan.
“We will continue to be partners for peace in Afghanistan. I recognize the positive facilitative role of Qatar in the peace process of Afghanistan.”
Qatari leadership especially the foreign minister showed perseverance and determination in moving forward in the peace process for Afghanistan and it will eventually pay off, he noted.
“I briefed the foreign minister on more than 20 interactions with foreign ministers of different countries,” he told adding during his recent visits to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Iran he consulted on the situation in Afghanistan.
Qureshi underlined the need for a more coordinated approach on the unfolding situation in Afghanistan.
After the talks with different foreign ministers, a new forum of neighbouring countries emerged to deal with the immediate challenges of Afghan refugees and border trade. The special representatives of these countries held a meeting on September 5 and he informed them about his country’s viewpoint on Afghanistan, Qureshi continued.
He said he exchanged views with the Qatari minister about collective steps that were needed to be taken to keep Afghanistan peaceful, secure and stable and ensure that Afghanistan should not become a haven for proxy wars.
“There are spoilers within Afghanistan and beyond. We have to collectively scuttle designs of these spoilers to avoid confusion and chaos in Afghanistan.”
Qureshi stressed that the immediate challenge was to avert a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, adding Pakistan had already sent food and medicine to the neighbouring country through land and air.
He appreciated the constructive role of Qatar in avoiding a human catastrophe in Afghanistan.
He was of the view that no country should attach political conditions and focus on saving lives of Afghan people.
He further said the world was watching the conduct of the new Taliban government, seeing whether it would live up to the statements made by its leadership.
Even if the countries were not immediately ready for economic aid, they should not take steps that leads to economic collapse in Afghanistan, he remarked.
The contributions of the international community, made in the last two decades should not be wasted and the world should build further on its achievements, he asserted.
He said during the talks with the Qatari minister, they also discussed bilateral relations and delved on challenges to be overcome to transform the brotherly and excellent relations to a new level of strategic ties.
“The mechanism like joint economic commission will be used to promote the ties further.”
Pakistan was facilitating the provision of food items to Qatar, contributing to its food security while 0.2 million Pakistanis were already making contributions to the economy of Qatar, he added.
He offered cooperation of Pakistan for the FIFA world cup and future economic endeavours.
In his remarks, Qatari foreign minister said Pakistan and Qatar had strong brotherly relations and “our leadership has the vision of upgrading the ties to multi-disciplinary relationship”.
“We appreciate the contribution of Pakistanis in Qatar and we look forward to more contribution of Pakistani citizens.”
He appreciated role of Pakistan in supporting peace process in Afghanistan and the mediation efforts of Qatar and other countries.
Pakistan played a leadership role in the efforts for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, he said adding, “We have a shared vision for Afghanistan. We desire to see stability in Afghanistan as soon as possible.”
He agreed that humanitarian assistance should be independent of the political process in Afghanistan.
The minister said Kabul airport had been operationalized and a flight of Qatar airways departed from airport today.
“We are expecting from Taliban to transform their positive statements into actions. We will encourage Taliban to be more inclusive as we want to see a peaceful and stable country. Along with other countries, Qatar supported a peaceful transition in Afghanistan.”
“We don’t want a negative impact on the neighbouring countries so we don’t want any crisis in Afghanistan.”
Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and held delegation level talks that covered the latest developments in Afghanistan and bilateral relations.
Foreign Minister Qureshi stressed that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was vital for Pakistan and regional peace and security. He outlined Pakistan’s persistent efforts to promote this objective. The Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan’s assistance to the international community on account of evacuations in the wake of recent developments in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Qureshi also apprised of Pakistan’s extensive diplomatic outreach, including his interaction with more than 20 Foreign Ministers and the
Prime Minister’s consultations with a large number of world leaders. The Foreign Minister also appreciated Qatar’s efforts in support of Afghan peace process.
Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored the vital importance of supporting the Afghan people, at this critical juncture, to avert humanitarian and economic crises. He emphasized the importance of stabilizing the security situation in Afghanistan, preserving the peace, and precluding any mass exodus.
Foreign Minister Qureshi urged the international community to enhance its positive engagement with Afghanistan through constructive actions. Re-emphasizing the imperatives of addressing the urgent humanitarian needs and ensuring economic stability of Afghanistan, he outlined Pakistan’s continued efforts and reaffirmed the commitment to facilitate international efforts in this regard.
Discussing bilateral relations, Foreign Minister Qureshi reaffirmed Pakistan’s fraternal ties with Qatar, based on shared faith, values and mutual respect. He expressed the desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in diverse fields. The Foreign Minister appreciated close collaboration between the two countries in the multilateral fora, including the OIC and the UN. Foreign Minister Qureshi and the Qatari Foreign Minister agreed to remain in close contact.