KABUL (TCA) — China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have agreed to form a foreign ministers dialogue mechanism, said a joint statement issued by the three countries’ foreign ministries, after China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past weekend, Afghanistan’s TOLOnews agency reported.
The three countries held in-depth discussions on the situation in Afghanistan, the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral cooperation.
According to the statement, the three sides are committed to maintaining regional peace and stability, enhancing regional connectivity and economic cooperation and promoting shared security and development.
Both Afghanistan and Pakistan are willing to improve relations with each other, strengthen political mutual trust, enhance cooperation in various fields including counter-terrorism, and jointly meet security challenges. The Chinese side hopes Afghanistan and Pakistan could maintain stable and sound relations, and is willing to provide necessary assistance in this regard based on the needs of both sides, the statement said.
Afghanistan and Pakistan also agreed to establish a crisis management mechanism, which will include prevention through timely and effective intelligence and information-sharing and other mutually agreed measures. The Chinese side will support this mechanism.
“The Chinese side and the Pakistani side support the ‘Afghan-led and Afghan-owned’ reconciliation process, and stand ready to continue to play a constructive role in advancing this process,” the joint statement said.
The three countries also called on the Afghan Taliban to join the reconciliation process.
The statement also noted that the three countries support the Kabul Process initiative, “and hold 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.”
