ISLAMABAD, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for a peaceful, stable, democratic, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan.
He reiterated Pakistan’s long-held view that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict and that a negotiated political settlement was the only way forward.
The foreign minister was talking to Speaker of Afghanistan’s Wolesi Jirga Mir Rahman Rahmani at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The foreign minister highlighted Pakistan’s constructive efforts for facilitating the Afghan peace process and underlined the imperative of reduction in violence leading to ceasefire.
Foreign minister Qureshi expressed hope that the Afghan parties would seize this historic opportunity and workout an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.
He underlined the need to be vigilant about the role of “spoilers”, both within and outside Afghanistan and stressed the importance of maintaining a constructive and conducive environment for advancing shared goals.
The foreign minister also underlined the need to utilize the available forums including Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) to address all matters of bilateral interest.
Qureshi emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to safe and dignified return of Afghan refugees to their homeland, in a time-bound and well-resourced roadmap, supported by the international community.
He further underlined the strong fraternal ties with Afghanistan were based on centuries-old bonds and affinities between the people of the two countries.
He stressed the need to deepen bilateral ties and underscored the importance of parliamentary interactions in this regard.
The foreign minister also welcomed the visiting dignitary to Pakistan for 2nd General Conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of Economic Cooperation Organization (PAEC).
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