ISLAMABAD:
Foreign ministers from Afghanistan, China and Pakistan will meet in Kabul on Wednesday as part of a trilateral mechanism aimed at discussing issues related to strengthening political, economic and regional cooperation among the three countries.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is currently on a visit to New Delhi, will travel to Kabul for the first formal trilateral meeting in two years.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the meeting to be hosted by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
This will be the first visit by the Chinese foreign minister to Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power four years ago while the third by Dar to the Afghan capital since April.
At an informal trilateral meeting, held in Beijing in May, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to upgrade their diplomatic relationship at the ambassadors’ level. The deal was brokered by China, which wanted to seek rapprochement between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Among other issues, the security situation, particularly the presence of terrorist outfits inside Afghanistan, would be one of the major topics of discussions.
Pakistan has remained concerned that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other groups are still operating from Afghan soil.
China, too, is worried but wants to remain engaged with Kabul to address those issues.
According to Afghanistan’s Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, the conference will include detailed discussions on various aspects such as strengthening political ties, creating new opportunities for economic cooperation, and taking joint measures on regional security.
It is expected that the conference will propose practical steps that will not only make trilateral cooperation more effective but also contribute towards overall development and stability of the region.
Sources say that during his visit to Kabul, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also hold separate meetings with several senior leaders of the Taliban government.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will hold talks with Afghan officials on various aspects of bilateral cooperation and present Pakistan’s policy for strengthening trilateral engagement.
For Afghanistan, this conference is being seen as a major diplomatic success, as it provides the country an opportunity to remain engaged with key regional players.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office on Tuesday confirmed that on the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Islamabad for co-chairing the 6th Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue on August 21.
“The visit is part of the regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China to further deepen their “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”, reaffirm support on the issues of respective core interests, enhance economic and trade cooperation, and reaffirm their joint commitment to regional peace, development and stability, read the statement.
His visit comes ahead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s trip to China later this month. The prime minister will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and hold bilateral meetings with Chinese leadership including President Xi Jingping.
This will be Shehbaz’s first visit to China since the Pakistan-India four-day war. During the visit of the Chinese foreign minister, both sides will finalise the agenda of the prime minister’s upcoming trip to China.
