{"id":15180,"date":"2023-05-08T01:27:51","date_gmt":"2023-05-07T23:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=15180"},"modified":"2023-05-08T01:27:56","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T23:27:56","slug":"china-pakistan-and-afghanistan-foreign-minister-hold-talks-in-islamabad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/china-pakistan-and-afghanistan-foreign-minister-hold-talks-in-islamabad\/","title":{"rendered":"China, Pakistan and Afghanistan foreign minister hold talks in Islamabad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The foreign ministers of China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan agreed to strengthen trilateral cooperation on security and counterterrorism and boost trade and connectivity in a dialogue in Islamabad.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They discussed trilateral issues and cooperate during the fifth trilateral dialogue of foreign ministers held on May 6, 2023. This was the first such dialogue held by three countries since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that China<\/span><\/a> seeks to promote good neighborliness and mutual trust among the three countries based on mutual respect, transparency, and friendship. He expressed the hope that the meeting would facilitate the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to landlocked Afghanistan and further cooperation in trade, investment, and connectivity, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges among the three parties to forger closer and more friendly relationships as neighbors and partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan\u2019s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari emphasized the importance of peace and stability in Afghanistan for development, connectivity, and prosperity in the region. “We will continue to work together with all stakeholders for a peaceful, stable, prosperous, and united Afghanistan,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beijing and Islamabad stressed the need for concrete efforts by the international community to provide assistance to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people including through unfreezing of Afghanistan\u2019s overseas financial assets.\u00a0Qin Gang said that China and Pakistan would actively support the reconstruction process in Afghanistan but also pressed the Taliban to deliver on regional and international commitments including “inclusive government<\/span><\/a> and moderate policies and friendly relations with its neighbors”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is subject to a travel ban by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and was given an exemption to visit Islamabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pakistan,<\/a>
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (center) speaking during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (left) and Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (right) during a meeting in Islamabad. (Image Credit: Pakistan Foreign Ministry)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Counter-terrorism and security<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the discussion of security, Chinese State Councilor Qin Gang said<\/span><\/a> that “China is ready to strengthen counter-terrorism and security cooperation with Afghanistan and Pakistan\u201d. He also said that his country is also prepared to \u201djoin efforts to firmly combat terrorist forces including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), so as to defend regional security and stability”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bilawal Bhutto said that terrorism is a crucial issue for Pakistan and its people, and it poses a significant threat to regional peace and stability. Therefore, Pakistan is determined to collaborate with China and Afghanistan to address this issue through trilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Had a candid and indepth exchange on key cooperation areas and international issues of mutual interest. Look forward to working with @ambqingang<\/a> to further enhance All-Weather \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf3 strategic partnership! pic.twitter.com\/3R6oEv36V2<\/a><\/p>\u2014 BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) May 6, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>