Daily Times

The third round of China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue will be held on Saturday under the chairmanship of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi and Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Salahuddin Rabbani will lead their respective delegations, a Foreign Office statement said on Friday. The agenda of the dialogue focuses on political relations and the peace process, security cooperation and counter terrorism, and development cooperation and connectivity.

China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue was established in 2017 as a means of trilateral cooperation on issues of mutual interest and with a particular focus on cooperation in economic development and peace and security.

The first meeting of the dialogue was held in Beijing in 2017 and the second in Kabul in December 2018. The dialogue provides an opportunity to illustrate the joint efforts made by the three countries on political cooperation and facilitating Afghan peace and reconciliation process since the last round.

Pakistan attaches highest importance to the dialogue as part of political trust building, development and cooperation and connectivity leading to greater understanding on issues of common concern.

In Beijing, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Geng Shuang said the visit of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Pakistan will help implement the consensus of the leaders of the two countries and consolidate the friendship and mutual trust between the two sides. The visit is also aimed at promoting the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, deepening pragmatic cooperation in various fields and creating a more cohesive partnership of China and Pakistan in the new era, the spokesperson said.

During the visit, State Councilor Wang Yi will meet with Pakistani leaders and hold talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The visit, he said, is taking place at the invitation of the Pakistani counterpart. China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners and at present, China-Pakistan relations enjoy a good momentum of development, he added.

High-level exchanges between the two countries are frequent, mutually beneficial cooperation is continuously deepening, and coordination and cooperation are closely coordinated in international and regional affairs, the spokesperson said.