Pakistan, China back Afghan-owned peace process

Pakistan and China Thursday reiterated their support to the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process in a trilateral meeting in Islamabad that also attended by Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministry said.

The second meeting of Pakistan-Afghanistan-China Trilateral Dialogue agreed that an intra-Afghan inclusive dialogue would ensure durable peace and stability in Afghanistan, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The three sides reviewed the progress since the first trilateral dialogue and believe that the dialogue plays a positive role in enhancing friendly cooperation between the three countries and maintaining peace and stability in the region.

The meeting discussed regional situation with special reference to Afghanistan, efforts for peace and reconciliation and trilateral cooperation in various fields.

The participants agreed that regular trilateral consultations between the three countries were important in order to further promote peace and stability in the region and to strengthen trilateral friendly exchanges and cooperation.

The meeting welcomed the Afghan High Peace Council's visit to Islamabad and the joint press statement issued after the visit. It also appreciated the steps taken by Pakistan in response to their request.

The three countries agreed that close and consistent cooperation among regional countries is essential to overcome the trends of violence. They reiterated their commitment to cooperate in fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism.

The meeting highlighted the importance of counter-narcotics campaign especially due to the nexus between terrorism and drug money. In this context, the participants welcomed the outcome of the Regional Ministerial Conference on Counter-Narcotics held in Islamabad on Nov. 12-13, 2012.

The three sides support the United Nations' leading role in the context of international cooperation. They agreed that the SCO can play an important role in peace and stability in the region and that the SCO regional mechanism can provide better solutions to the emerging new security, political and economic challenges.

The meeting took note of the successful visit of a joint media delegation from Afghanistan and Pakistan to China in June 2012, and appreciated China's efforts in hosting this visit. The Meeting welcomed the Chinese proposals for hosting a Pakistan- Afghanistan joint parliamentary delegation to China, and initiating counter-narcotics consultations and exchanges among the three sides in due time.

The participants gratefully accepted the offer of the Afghan delegation to host the next meeting in Kabul. The date will be communicated through diplomatic channels.

The meeting was chaired by Syed Abrar Hussain, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. The Afghan and Chinese delegations were led by Mr. Azizuddin Ahmadzada, Director General, First Political Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan and Mr. Huang Xilian, Counsellor of the Department of Asian Affair of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, respectively.