Daily Times

PARIS: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and British Prime Minister David Cameroon held a trilateral meeting on Monday on the sidelines of the UN Summit on Climate Change and agreed to jointly promote the Afghan peace process with legitimate political actors.

“Leaders agreed to work with all those who would enter such a process as legitimate political actors and act alongside the Afghan government, [but] against those who refuse to take the path of peace,” said the prime minister’s office in Islamabad.

During the course of warm and cordial exchanges, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stressed the need for all parties to remain committed to the promotion of peace and stability in Afghanistan, notwithstanding the obstacles and impediments in the pursuit of this objective. He also assured the leaders of Afghanistan and the United Kingdom of his government’s strong resolve and commitment to ensure that the Pakistani soil is not used for terrorism anywhere.

With regards to resumption of peace and the reconciliation process, the premier reiterated the stance to support an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process.

“Pakistan is committed to build a stable Afghanistan, which is in the interest of the entire region,” the statement said. “Both the countries face a common threat and Pakistan would make all efforts to tackle the menace of terrorism affecting the two countries,” the statement added.

In this context, the prime minister apprised the two leaders of the successes achieved during last one and half year in the military operation Zarb-e-Azb, launched against all militants and terrorists without any distinction or discrimination.

The prime minister told the Afghan president that a warm welcome awaited him in Islamabad at the Heart of Asia Meeting on December 9.

President Ashraf Ghani reciprocated the sentiments of working with Pakistan to develop peaceful, friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif affirmed his desire to establish a friendly cooperative relationship with Afghanistan. He stressed that Pakistan remained committed to working with Afghanistan as an equal and sovereign state. Pakistan regarded the National Unity Government as the only legitimate and democratically-elected partner, he maintained.

The prime minister emphasized that peace and stability in Afghanistan remained his government key goal. Pakistan had committed to building a long-term partnership with its neighbours, to build a stable Afghanistan, in the interest of the entire region, he added.

The two leaders agreed that economic and trade cooperation between the two countries was an important area of shared interest.

The prime minister emphasized that Pakistan was determined to work with Afghanistan to improve regional economic links and was ready to take concrete steps to improve such links, to the benefit of both countries.

The British prime minister spoke of his great admiration for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Ashraf Ghani and lauded their strong commitment to work closely for the common objective of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He assured both leaders that the UK would remain available with its support and assistance in their common endeavour to promote the reconciliation process in Afghanistan.