World urged to help Kabul combat terrorism, unfreeze assets to end poverty,
Islamabad (Mudasser Chuhdary)_Pakistan and China on Saturday agreed in principle to expand CPEC to Afghanistan during the Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue held in Islamabad, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel.
Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, acting Afghan foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, and FM Bilawal Bhutto represented their countries in the dialogue. They held discussions covering areas of political engagement, counter-terrorism, trade and connectivity.
Pakistan hosted the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers dialogue here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It was an honor to host FMs of China & Afg & Chair the 5th China-Pak-Afghan Trilateral FMs Dialogue. We held productive discussions on pol. engagement, counter terrorism, & trade & connectivity. I look forward to constructive engagement under trilat. process b/w our 3 countries pic.twitter.com/n2t0dSxaBe
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) May 7, 2023
Pakistan is a sincere friend of Afghanistan and seeks friendly relations with it, the statement said, adding Pakistan is ready to help its Afghan brothers with economic development.
“The international community should help the Afghan government to deal with terrorism in a comprehensive manner,” the statement said.
It added that the problem of poverty in Afghanistan can be solved only through economic cooperation for which its accounts and assets worth $9.5 billion need to be unfrozen immediately.
The FMs also hoped the Afghan interim government will address the concerns of the international community regarding women’s rights.
The declaration stated that the entire region will benefit from the communication between Afghanistan, China and Pakistan, adding that investing in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will increase mutual connectivity and improve regional economy.
Afghanistan is an independent state where a reduction in poverty will also reduce the brain drain from the country, the statement added.
It further said that China and Pakistan can start joint projects for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and both countries can play an important role in the development of agriculture, livestock and mineral sectors.
It suggested that there should be youth exchange programs to build more confidence between the three countries. Regional and other powers must eliminate the use of religious extremists, it further stressed.
“It is inevitable to establish an “anti-terrorism platform” by including the representatives of the three countries,” the statement declared.
It further emphasized on the need to promote the trend of mutual sports in the three countries. “There is a need to take advantage of the mutual industrial capabilities between the countries,” the statement said.
By allowing respective companies to operate in each other’s country will lead to the region reaping the benefits, it said, adding the interim Afghan government should not be influenced by the negative politics of nationalists.
According to the Foreign Office, “Pakistan is looking forward to advancing our common agenda for regional cooperation under the trilateral framework.”
Pakistan, China and Afghanistan have urged the global community to help the interim Afghan government combat terrorism, and unfreeze the $9.5 billion worth of the country’s assets and accounts immediately to help end poverty in the country.
In a joint declaration issued at the end of the fifth trilateral dialogue among the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan, it was stated that the tripartite talks will provide new hopes and opportunities for regional development.
