The foreign ministers of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan Saturday called for a politically negotiated settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan as they hoped for an early start of dialogue in the war-torn country for complete cessation of violence.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Afghanistan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani represented their respective countries in the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue in Islamabad on Saturday.
The sessions were chaired by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
In a joint statement, the three countries noted with satisfaction the progress made under the trilateral cooperation since the second dialogue held in Kabul in December 2018.
The ministers condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Kabul, Konduz, Baghlan and Farah and noted the recent talks between the US and the Taliban.
They expressed hope that intra-Afghan negotiations including direct negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban begin soon and lead to full cessation of violence bringing lasting peace for the people of Afghanistan.
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They underlined the need for an inclusive, Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process leading to a comprehensive agreement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan, according to the statement.
The three countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their relations, exploring new ways of deepening cooperation, including advancing connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative, Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan and other regional economic initiatives.
The three sides welcomed the progress made on implementation of projects agreed under the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Practical Cooperation Dialogue (CAPPCD).
China expressed its readiness to support construction of refrigeration storages, clinic centers, drinking water supply schemes and immigration reception centers at crossing points between Afghanistan and Pakistan to facilitate the movement of people and trade activities among the two countries.
The three sides welcomed the plans to hold a trilateral friendly cricket tournament among junior cricket teams of the three countries in Beijing in October 2019.
They also agreed to arrange a capacity building workshop of young diplomats from the three countries under the Junior Diplomats Exchange Program to be held in Pakistan in October 2019.
The three Foreign Ministers agreed to organise an archaeologists' exchange program, explore cooperation among the Red Crescent Societies of the three countries, besides regularly undertaking exchange projects in the fields of media, think-tanks, sports, joint training, among others.
The three countries resolved to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and without any distinction.
They committed to not let any terrorist organisation, element or individual use their soil against any country.
They also decided to work towards effectively implementing the trilateral MoU on Cooperation in Counter-terrorism, signed at the second round of Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue held in Kabul.
The three sides agreed to utilise the trilateral Vice-Ministerial Strategic Dialogue, the Vice-Ministerial Consultation on Counter-Terrorism and Security, and the Director-General Level Practical Cooperation Dialogue to implement the consensus of the third Foreign Ministers' Dialogue.
Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi received his Chinese and Afghan counterparts at the Noor Khan Airbase.
The trilateral forum will help improve the environment of peace and security in Afghanistan by opening the doors of economic activity and trade, Qureshi told the media at the airbase.
"Afghanistan can also benefit from the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Gwadar port," said Qureshi.
He said peace and development in Afghanistan was important for peace in the region.
The trilateral dialogue was first held in Beijing in 2017, followed by the second meet in Kabul in December 2018.
This year, the meet is being held at a time when the US is finalising a peace agreement with the Taliban militants to pull out American troops from Afghanistan.
The US seeks the Taliban guarantee they will not allow Afghanistan to become a haven from which extremist groups launch global attacks.
On Thursday, US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad returned to Qatar for further talks with the Taliban as he fine-tunes a deal on withdrawing troops, the State Department said.
"Ambassador Khalilzad has returned to Doha to continue talks," a State Department spokesperson said, signalling that the two sides were working on a possible peace deal.