Pakistan, China and Afghanistan on Wednesday committed themselves to bolstering joint efforts against the menace of terrorism and deepening their collaboration in key spheres.
A statement to this effect followed the Sixth Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue held in Kabul between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Chinese and Afghan counterparts, Wang Yi and Amir Khan Muttaqi, respectively, on the topics of political, economic and security cooperation.
“The three sides committed to strengthening joint efforts against terrorism. They also reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in trade, transit, regional development, health, education, culture, and combating drug trafficking, as well as extension of CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) to Afghanistan,” the Foreign Office (FO) said on the meeting.
Before the meeting, Dar met FM Muttaqi on the sidelines and the two are said to have noted the positive movement in political and economic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan. They also reaffirmed their commitment to working closely on counter-terrorism and ensuring peace and stability in the region.
The FO said the two welcomed the recent elevation of diplomatic representation between the two countries from the chargé d’affaires to the ambassadorial level.
Its statement said both had noted with appreciation that most decisions from recent interactions had either been implemented or were nearing completion, adding that these efforts had significantly strengthened bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of trade and transit.
FM Dar “acknowledged the encouraging progress in political and commercial ties, while expressing that progress in the security domain, especially in counter-terrorism, continues to lag behind,” the FO said, adding that Dar had highlighted a recent surge in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan perpetrated by groups operating from Afghan soil.
The FO added that he urged the Afghan authorities to take “concrete and verifiable measures” against proscribed groups such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Balochistan Liberation Army/Majeed Brigade.
The FO said Muttaqi reaffirmed Afghanistan’s commitment to ensuring its territory was not used by any terrorist group against Pakistan or other nations.
