Pakistan To Facilitate Afghan Peace Process, Intra-Afghan Dialogue: Shah Mahmood Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said that Pakistan would do its utmost to facilitate Afghan peace process, intra-Afghan dialogue and to gain each other's trust

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jun, 2019 ) :Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said that Pakistan would do its utmost to facilitate Afghan peace process, intra-Afghan dialogue and to gain each other's trust.

In his welcome remarks for President Ghani's talks at the Institute of Strategic Studies, he said President Ghani's visit symbolized shared desire of the two countries to enhance leadership level engagements between Islamabad and Kabul.

The Foreign Minister said both sides had very constructive input towards looking engagements, adding that this visit of President Ghani would be a watershed and a turning point by not accusing each other like in the past and looking forward.

Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan had for a long time been stressing that a negotiated political solution was the only way forward and it was gratifying that the whole community today fully accepted this prescription.

He said Pakistan had whole-heartedly facilitated the Afghan peace process in good faith and as a shared responsibility and would continue playing its due role, adding, " while efforts of all stakeholders are required, we do believe that the ultimate arbiters of the future of Afghanistan are only the Afghans themselves." He said Pakistan would continue urging for a result-oriented intra-Afghan dialogue as the only way to durable peace and stability in Afghanistan, adding that as the process moves forward, it would be important to intensify security cooperation between the two countries to prevent the common enemies from creating misunderstanding between the two countries.

Qureshi said the world community remained constructively and sustainably engaged with Afghanistan in the post-settlement phase to help the cause of reconstruction and economic development.

The Foreign Minister emphasized Pakistan's strong commitment to working assiduously with Afghanistan to achieve the full potential of relationship of the two countries in diverse fields.

He said Pakistan stood ready to intensify trade, economic, investment, communication, energy, cultural and people-to-people ties, adding that Pakistan would continue to contribute to the efforts for reconstruction, socio-economic development, and human resource capacity-building in Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan's commitment in this regard was to the tune of nearly $one billion.

Apart from strong political will, the Foreign Minister said both countries must utilize the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) for the common good of the two peoples.

He said Pakistan also remained committed to working closely withAfghanistan and the international community for the safe and dignified,honourable and voluntarily return of Afghan refugees to their homeland.