Saturday, September 5, 2020
Kabul (BNA) Acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar had a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani Counterpart Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi yesterday, a MoFA statement said.
At the outset, the Acting Foreign Minister expressed his happiness for the full recovery of Pakistani Foreign Minister from COVID-19 and wished him good health, according to the statement.
The Pakistani Foreign Minister congratulated his Afghan counterpart on the successful holding of the second review meeting of Afghanistan–Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), which was held on August 31, 2020 in Kabul. He added that “fortunately the APAPPS meeting has made good progress and both the countries need to work towards full implementation of their commitments.”
The Afghan Acting Foreign Minister termed APAPPS a crucial platform for promoting cooperation and understanding between the two nations and assured Mr. Qureshi that Afghanistan was fully committed to both the mechanism and the decisions made during this round of APAPPS meeting.
FM Atmar also thanked Pakistan for playing an active role in the Afghan peace process and for supporting the peace talks between the government of IRoA and the Taliban. Minister Atmar discussed the need for achieving a peace that is sustainable and which leads to preserving the democratic achievements of the last 19 years, the statement added.
While reiterating his government’s support for a peaceful settlement of the Afghan conflict, Foreign Minister Qureshi discussed Pakistan’s recent moves for improving transit and trade including the decision to upgrade Ghulam Khan crossing point as the third transit route between the two countries.
Minister Atmar hoped that Ghulam Khan crossing serve as a new official transit route and increase trade and transit between the two countries. The Afghan Acting Foreign Minister also discussed his vision for multilateral cooperation at regional level involving Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asian countries.
Both sides discussed and emphasized the need for enhancing regional connectively through rail-way projects, economic investments, and developing infrastructure that connects the region.
Minister Atmar thanked the Pakistani government for continued hosting of the Afghan refugees and assisting them during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two sides also exchanged views on dignified and gradual return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
